Marissa
by Deona Lindholm
Summary: The Full Summary of this story is now on Chapter 1. When KITT finds a child, it's only the beginning of everything, especially for him. COMPLETED
1. Knight Before Destiny Begins

Marissa

_Chapter 1: Knight Before Destiny Begins_

Full Summary: Michael and the gang go to Montana for a convention, as well as a vacation. Kitt goes to a forest to debunk rumors of a ghost haunting it, but what he does find will herald significant changes for FLAG, and begin something irrevocable within the AI itself.

Author's Notes: KITT, Devon, Michael, etc belong to Glen A. Larson. However, Marissa, Verona, Parkson, etc. all belong to me.

She knew that her back was to the waterfall, and the long descent to the bottom. That night, she had taken all that she could stand. The master felt that she had been too slow and punished her, as usual. It had been more horrible than she could have imagined, very painful. That waterfall would take it all away, for good.

_As she turned and started to bend her knees, she heard a voice behind her. She had never heard it before, not the master's for certain. It had an accent, a soft one, that she definitely understood. As alien as it sounded, it was firm, yet…maybe not-hard. It was calling her to not jump._

_She turned around and saw the strangest thing. In front of her were a pair of soft, bright lights. The full moon shone into the forest enough that she could see the source of those lights, and it startled her, not to mention…awed her. She couldn't move at all._

_In front of her was a black car. She had seen them before, they sometimes could be seen just beyond the forest, but this one was unlike any other. She could see something odd that the car was changing into. It was a faint outline, but the black car seemed to begin a change toward…a human. A person._

_The moon and the two lights merged, and her vision faded, first into bright white, then faded into black._

_When she could see again, she found herself surrounded by a single sound: a heartbeat. That's what her mind told her, anyway. Faintly, in the distance, she could see the car-man. She got the feeling that just by seeing her, he had begun changing into this._

"_Who…are you?" she moved her mouth to say, and shrieked when her little voice echoed._

_The car-man said nothing._

_As she tried to ask again, she saw a golden glow surround her. Little by little, the glow increased in brightness as well as color._

"_Pure gold," she heard the car-man whisper._

_Once the light was bright enough, a tendril of gold began to steadily appear, and then grow in length. Within minutes, the gold tendril was halfway between her and Car-man._

_She felt frightened, although at the same time, she wanted the tendrils to connect._

_Within moments more, they did, linking the child to the car-man._

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In a wooden shack, a small, dirty, disheveled child was sleeping in a corner. She didn't wash much, wasn't allowed to, but she had seen once that her hair was light blonde. The hair was also jagged in many places, where the other resident had yanked it out.

Now, that other resident, a large, angry man with red hair, a body like that of at least someone that had been lifting weights, stomped towards the child, then yanked her harshly by the arm from the floor.

She whimpered, still asleep, and murmured something.

Growling, the man used his usual method of waking the little…creature up.

He bent his hand and then backhanded both sides of her face.

There was a yelp, and then terrified hazel eyes opened, staring at his face.

"M-master Parkson…" she squeaked.

"Didn't I tell you to clean the fireplace before you get any sleep? Well?" he roared.

"I-I did. J-just as you—"

"_Liar!_" he spat out and backhanded her again. "The fireplace isn't cleaned out, just did your half-brained version of it! Well, if you think you're going to get away with it, you're wrong."

"M-master…?"

"As soon as I take care of your punishment, you'll go back in there and do the job right this time. And, creature…you can forget about food for a couple of days. That'll make you remember to do what your master says!"

This made the child whimper and beg, which made him even angrier and used the full fist this time, in the stomach, before he dragged her off in the other room, to begin the punishment.

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Far away, in the middle of the night, an older man was in the middle of a strange dream, if his utterings were of any indication. Strange…and painful.

"Ch-child…dirty thing," he murmured, his accent British by birth. At first the voice sounded quiet, awed. He added, "Familiar…?"

After a moment, his voice became pained as he called out, "How long…Verona? No, she can't be dead…! The other…? No!"

A sharp, sorrowful cry issued from the man as he immediately was sitting up, his eyes snapping open.

The man tried shakily to regain calm, but when it came to things like this, it was next to impossible. Not after what had happened so long ago.

A light came on in the room next door and he heard the sounds of someone familiar, a woman, running.

"Devon?" he heard her seconds later, "Wh—what happened…?"

The man, Devon, took another shaky breath before he turned to his left, where a brunette woman ran in from. She looked about suspiciously before she lowered a single, long item in her hands.

"What happened?" she asked again, concerned.

"N-nightmare," he replied quietly.

"Another one…? About the war, right…?"

Devon shook his head and replied, voice still pained, "No, Bonnie. Verona…"

She winced sympathetically. The man, Devon Miles, would, at times, have nightmares, but most were about what he termed as "the war". However, there were some nightmares that were more personal, and certainly more traumatic in their own ways.

"I don't doubt it," she said quietly, "Considering what time of year this is. What was it about this time…?"

After he took a deep breath, he replied, "A child…or what looked like a child. Filthy, from head to toe. A man beating her, constantly, calling her a creature. Golden vines coming from somewhere and ensnaring her."

"A girl…?" she replied. "And you mentioned Verona."

"Yes. Reliving…when I found out. And then saw her calling for help."

Bonnie shook her head and said quietly, "Devon, it was just a nightmare. There's no possible way you could help her now."

Both were rather quiet for a long moment while he fought to get his tremors at the dream under control.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes…I think so," was the quiet reply.

She simply nodded and said, "We'll be arriving tomorrow for the convention. It'll be strange, attending something this long."

There was only a small chuckle at that from the older man. Bonnie, Devon, RC3, Michael and Kitt were traveling by semi to a city in Montana for a month-long convention. For Devon, it meant work, although for the rest, it was a vacation. Michael and Kitt would be separated during this, of course, no matter how much he disliked it.

Michael would be going up into the mountains to simply relax. At the same time, Kitt would be going to a natural retreat (or, in human terms, a vast forest) a short distance from the city, doing some research on his own. The fact that Kitt requested that no-one accompany him had startled everyone. The only way that had been permitted was for the AI to promise to contact either Michael or Devon daily, as well as to keep his homing beacon on.

RC3 had not told Michael where he would be at, although he did tell Kitt and Devon…and from the sound of what was said, the Street Avenger would be paying a visit to the city. Not something Devon liked, but then again…not many knew that such a one was working for FLAG.

"Any idea what Kitt wants to do at that natural retreat?" he asked, trying not to think about either the convention /or/ the nightmare.

"All he said to me was that he would be relaxing as well as debunking some rumors. According to what we've heard, there's some kind of urban legend going around in that area. Something about a ghost scaring the visitors off just by sight." She saw that Devon was about to object, but she reminded him, "He did give his word to keep the homing beacon on and to report in daily."

He nodded. He still didn't like this, although now…

Bonnie saw a strange look on his face the second time he nodded and said, "Devon…another whisper?"

"Yes…and this one says that Kitt will be all right by himself."

Her eyes widened at this, but she said nothing. From long acquaintance, she knew that at times, Devon would have what he called "a whisper in his heart", something that told him whether a course of action was to be followed or not. Only twice was the whisper ignored, and as she knew from personal experience, they had ended with disaster. The first time, years before, Devon had been too cold one too many times and Michael was a half-step away from completely walking out of FLAG for good. The declaration to leave (the younger man even had his bags packed and in the office) had deeply shocked him, a shock he needed. Even now, the Englishman felt deep regret over the incident, even though he had learned from it…and didn't want to know what would have happened if he had not left his office without notice and gone after Michael.

The second time, Devon had nearly died, when he had been kidnapped, drugged for Kitt's MBS formulae, then left in a building, along with Jennifer Knight, that had time bombs equipped. Ever since the second time, he stopped ignoring the whispers. Of course, Bonnie was the only one alive that knew about them.

"All right, then…good night." At the long silence, she simply sighed and left for another small bedroom that was built into the semi.


	2. The Fateful Meeting

_Chapter 2: The Fateful Meeting_

The following morning, the semi from the Foundation for Law And Government had arrived in Helena, Montana, where the month-long law enforcement convention would be held. Shortly after sunrise, the group within awoke, washed, then decided on having a small breakfast at one of the restaurants before separating. For KITT, of course, breakfast meant a refill of gas, which Mark, one of Bonnie's technicians, took care of, as well as a diagnostic before the sentient car could be let loose on his own.

"While everyone was sleeping," she told the AI, "I took the liberty of installing the modifications to the homing beacon. Now, if someone you don't allow tries to take control of you, the program will take a snapshot of the person and send it, along with the location."

"_That's certainly a relief, Bonnie. I know that you and Devon aren't comfortable with me going off alone, but I will be careful. I haven't forgotten what happened to me recently, when I was hacked into,"_ the familiar voice with a Boston accent replied, a slight touch of ruefulness coming into it.

"We haven't either. Be thankful that Devon backed you up, or you'd be staying either with Michael or in here," she answered, then asked quietly, "Kitt…why a forest of all places? Is the rumors of a ghost kid really that troublesome to the locals?"

"_That's one way of putting it. The area closest to it is considered a prime area for picnics and camping. The appearance of the 'ghost' is, to use a term of Michael's, scaring away all the business. It's rather logical if you think about it."_

She chuckled and grinned, "Leave it to you to come up with a logical answer."

"_Bonnie, there is one thing I am puzzled about."_

That didn't seem like anything new to the technician. Kitt was programmed to protect human life, and most especially the life of its driver, Michael Knight, and often claimed that he didn't actually have emotions other than what was programmed, as such.

"Yes?"

"_I have gone through my record banks on all FLAG members currently on staff, and a particular name only comes up a few times—"_

"What name?" she interrupted, forestalling a lecture.

"_Who is Verona?"_

That made her turn rather pale. Kitt must had heard Devon last night.

"W-why?"

"_A short time ago, I heard Devon talking to himself about someone that had called for help and he mentioned that name."_

She muttered something under her breath that sounded distinctly like swearing, then replied, "Kitt…ask me again after we finish this convention, ok?"

"_All right, Bonnie."_

About half an hour after the human staff members had left for breakfast, the refill was complete, as was the diagnostic…and the technician opened the semi doors, watching while Kitt drove out, heading directly for the forested area.

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Devon looked a little distant as the group ate breakfast. This time, Michael picked the place, which was a regular 24-hour restaurant. Surprisingly, though, there was something for everyone on the menu, even the Englishman with his tastes.

"You okay?" Michael asked, "You look kinda spooked."

"Hm…? Oh…I'm fine, my boy, just a little preoccupied."

Michael nodded, although he looked right at the man that was his boss at the Foundation for the past few years. He had rarely seen this expression on Devon's face, and it was never good when it happened. The previous night, he had heard the disturbance in the back of the semi and had caught only little bits. He now took a mental breath before he spoke his next question.

"I'll ask you straight. Who's Verona?"

Michael was a bit stunned at Devon's reaction to the question: he choked on his coffee. From just that, it seemed he had hit a harder nerve than when Amelia, the love of the Englishman's life, had been murdered. As soon as he was able to take an unsteady breath, Devon glared at Bonnie before he raised an eyebrow at his subordinate. She gave a don't-look-at-me gesture in response.

"That loud?" he merely asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied, "Kitt heard you this morning and asked too before we left. Not my place to tell him your business."

The distant look returned two-fold and the table was clothed in silence before the older man nodded and said, "I had a very unusual dream last night…followed by a nasty nightmare about her. More like reliving a painful part of my past, actually. Verona…Verona Miles."

Michael nodded, then asked quietly, "Your wife?"

Bonnie shot him a frosty glare and Devon shook his head.

"No. Verona was the youngest in the family. She's my sister."

It was pretty evident that Michael was not prepared for that answer from the look on his face.

"Surprised?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted, then asked, "What happened?"

As Devon turned to look at Michael, his eyes were now tinged with sharp, deep pain. "She was killed in her home in Ontario, seven years ago. Right along with her only daughter."

"Hey, you don't know that for sure," Bonnie replied, then added to Michael, "The child disappeared without a trace. All we ever got was the name of a man that was dragging her off when her mother was murdered."

The Englishman simply shook his head, then added in a somewhat calmer, yet sharper tone, "Instead of digging up old memories, how about we finish so that we can get to the convention hall on time?"

The other two quietly nodded, knowing by now when to drop a subject.

"I just hope Kitt knows what he's doing. He really shouldn't be out by himself in a large forest like this. And he's never gone ghost hunting before."

That made Devon blink, then remark, "Michael, Kitt will be fine. I've got a whis—" he started for a moment, then finished, "a gut instinct."

Michael said nothing about the half-slip.

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In the forest, all was rather quiet, as though there weren't humans living within it, only the animals, the waterfall, and peace.

In one section, though, there was a sharp, loud blast of anger.

"You little piece of trash!" a booming male voice roared, "I told you last night you get nothing to eat for a couple of days as punishment, and you dare steal food when my back's turned!"

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The little, dirty child whimpered and said, "I-I didn't take any, master. Your dog took it. I-I tried to stop him, but he bit me."

"_Liar!"_ he snapped and backhanded her across the face.

"I'm not lying! Why would I lie, Master Parkson?"

"Why would my pal take my own meal, filth? Even he knows better than that. How about either a better story or the truth, for once!"

At that moment, her trembling form stood straight and she snapped, "Don't call me a liar! It's not my fault that you don't know what your own dog is doing!"

The instant the words had left her, she knew them for a mistake. She didn't know what made her say it.

The man snarled and drew back a fist just before hitting her in the stomach, then hit her in the eye.

"Piece of trash, you dare talk back to me!" He then yanked her, hard, by the hair and dragged her as he headed for the door. As he did, he continued, "You think you're so smart, brat, let's see how well you do against the real wilderness for a week, without me to protect you."

She screamed as he opened the door, which made him even angrier as he moved his arm up and down once, causing her to bounce off the floor. The next thing she knew, she was flying out of the shack, through the air. She then found herself with a mouthful of water. He had thrown her into a small pool of water.

"Maybe if you really are smart, you'll kill yourself and not come back!"

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Kitt sighed as he scanned the section of the forest he was in for the upteenth time. Ever since he had arrived that morning, he had asked some questions discreetly about the "ghost child" and the times that it would show up. Usually, the child would go towards folks that had lunch baskets, although sometimes she (he had not known before that the ghost child was a girl) would approach those that didn't have food. All of them had run the other way. After he had actually gone in, he had been scanning, and finding absolutely nothing.

For a forest, there were a few areas that he could traverse around rather easily, thanks to a few roads near the section with the waterfall. However, he knew that deeper in, he wouldn't be so fortunate. This had to be where the ghost came from.

Just as the AI was about to let his thoughts drift, his scanners picked up something. Slightly surprised, he checked the source of the alarm…and if he had been human, he would have gaped.

There was something approaching the waterfall…and if his readings were right, it was a little child!

He was about to discard it, and then decided to trust what Michael had called "a gut feeling". An odd bit of vernacular, since Kitt didn't have a gut. Nonetheless, he activated his turbines and Stealth mode, then started off in the direction of the life-sign.

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The child whimpered as she ran, her stomach growling loudly and hurting. She hurt all over, really, but having not eaten in a few days was even worse.

The master had been worse than usual. The dog really did eat the breakfast, and now she was being punished for it, as well as talking back. The beating from last night only added to her woes.

"What did I ever do to be punished like this?" she whispered, "Just being born, like the master says? Maybe I really am worthless…"

She huddled in on herself when she tripped on a branch and wept for a long time. When she looked up again, the sun was closer to the middle of the sky.

"If I'm worthless…then what am I doing here?" she asked quietly, again to herself, "I don't wanna hurt anymore…I don't wanna be punished anymore."

She thought back to the dream she had the previous night. At the time, she didn't know why she would go to the waterfall to kill herelf. Now, though, she did.

"Waterfall," she added, more resolutely, "There's a good jumpin' spot, an' I know where it is."

She got up and hurried at an uphill climb. Oh yes, she knew exactly where she could jump off from.

As soon as she arrived at the spot, she looked about her. Like most areas, this was full of trees, and there was even a road that lead up to here. The hill she was on overlooked not only the waterfall, but also the river below. The perfect area for sure.

She turned around to face the water and closed her eyes, remaining still for a few moments. After all, someone that was going to jump would be peaceful. She was bending her knees a bit, when she heard two words, from a voice that she had heard only once.

"_No! Don't!"_

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Kitt couldn't believe his luck. As soon as he had arrived at the waterfall, the child from his scanners appeared and walked quickly over to a hill that overlooked the waterfall and river below.

He examined her quietly, although pulling up a little bit. Nobody would hear him in Stealth mode, not even this…girl.

"_This is no ghost,"_ he said quietly, _"But this is the girl everyone's talking about."_

He saw her start to bend her knees and knew exactly what she intended to do. At that very instant, he…the best word would be _felt_ a bit of desperation as he turned on his outside speakers and called out, _"No! Don't!"_

The child's eyes opened wide as she whirled about and peered at him. Now that he had a frontal view, he could tell that it _was_ a living girl, perhaps eight or nine years old at most.

"Wh…what?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"_Why in the world would you want to end your own life?"_ Kitt asked her, a bit bewildered, although he couldn't understand why.

"Why? Because I'm nothing but trash…just a piece of filth," she replied, "I don't wanna hurt anymore, and I don't wanna be punished anymore. Why do you wanna know anyway? I'm just a stranger to you."

"_I may be a stranger, but I'm not about to let a little girl kill herself," _Kitt replied as he quietly began to turn on a small camera to examine her. Past the dirt and ragged clothing, he could tell that she was covered in cuts and bruises. _"What in the world happened to you?"_ He paused for a second as her eyes went wider, then he asked, _"What's your name?"_

"My…name? Hm. Trash, filth, imbecile, slave…that's what my master calls me."

"_Those aren't names. Do…do you have a name? Like Judy? Andrea? Mary…?"_

Her eyes became a little less wide as she replied, "Yeah. I only hear it in my dreams, or if the master's talking to one of his friends, but yeah."

"_What is it?"_

She took a deep breath. The master didn't want her to be using that name. Just speaking it got her no food for a day. "It's…Marissa."

The strange voice, one that had a Boston accent, replied softly, _"Marissa…that's…"_

"Ugly? Not fit for a slave?"

"_No. That's a pretty name."_

Something inside her burst when the strange car-man said that to her and she started crying.

"Why won't you let me stop hurting? Nobody wants me around anyway!"

"_That's not true!"_

"Oh? Tell me one person, one being that doesn't want me gone!"

Kitt was silent for a long moment. Before she turned back, ready to jump again, he replied in a hushed tone, yet sincere, _"I don't want you to die."_

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The child, Marissa, peered at the car in front of her, confused by the hushed sentence. This car-man wanted her to live? Why?

"Who…who are you?" she asked quietly, "I know you're not human."

"_You're right, I'm not. I'm…"_ he paused again, as if thinking about how to answer. After a few seconds, he replied, _"My name is Kitt."_

That actually brought a little laugh out of Marissa, and she murmured, "So the car-man is Kitt." She continued in a louder voice, "It's a cute name!"

There was a small chuckle coming from the car-man—_no, from Kitt,_ she thought, before he replied, "Thanks…Marissa. Can you come over here? So I can see why you're hurting?"

She whimpered at that, eyes widening again. The dream told her this Kitt would keep her from jumping…it didn't say whether or not he could be trusted.

"_Please, I won't hurt you. Trust me."_

Those words brought back memories of her other dream…the one where golden tendrils came out from around her and snaked around car—Kitt. Maybe she could trust him.

"You promise?"

"_I promise, I won't hurt you."_

"O-okay, then," she replied and walked slowly and carefully from the hill towards the black car.

As she approached it, Kitt made a sound that was would be, to a human, a gasp of shock.

"_What in the world would do this to you?_" he asked, astonished as he ran the scan on her, _"Old broken bones, numerous cuts, welts…and malnourished! Marissa, who did this!"_

She squeaked with fright when she heard the pure anger in Kitt's voice and started to back away.

"_No, come back. I'm sorry…I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at whoever did this to you."_

The voice still had anger, but there was more regret in it. She nodded and stepped forward again.

"Th…the master did it," Marissa replied quietly, "Master Parkson. He does it all the time, when I mess up on a chore, or sleep too long or lots of other things. It's…punishment because I'm such a piece of trash."

"_For one thing, you're not a piece of trash at all. I definitely don't think so,"_ Kitt replied, _"And for another…that isn't punishment, that's abuse!"_

"Abuse…?"

"_Yes, it's nothing but child abuse and it's inexcusable,"_ he replied, feeling…anger all over again. _"Does this Master Parkson also starve you as what you call punishment?"_

"Yeah. My stomach really growls and hurts, I haven't eaten for a couple of days this time."

That made Kitt mutter in a tone too low for her to hear. When he spoke again, he asked her, "Do you know how to wash?" When she blinked, he added, "With soap and water."

"Uh-huh! I do that sometimes in the river…even though I get punished for it. Master Parkson calls it putting on airs."

"_How about I follow you to another spot and you wash up? After you do, I'll open a door and you come in, okay?" _Kitt asked her.

"O-Okay, but how come?"

"_Well I'm not about to take a dirty little girl into town to get some food, now am I?"_

"You—you're gonna get me food? Even though it's punishment not to—"

"_That's exactly what I'm saying. You need to eat, and it's inhumane to starve a child as a punishment…especially when you probably did nothing wrong."_

Marissa nodded, then said, "Do you…have any soap? I lost mine last year. Some humans beyond the forest got scared when they saw me and took off without their stuff. Some soap was in there."

Kitt checked within himself, thinking, _So that's how the people got the idea there was a ghost, _then replied, _"As a matter of fact, I do. Come over here and I'll open the door."_

The little girl nodded and came up to the car, which then opened the passenger-side door.

"_Okay, now you see the little door in front of you? Open it and look in a small, black bag. You'll find soap in there."_

She nodded again and opened the little door, then after a minute, she pulled out a bar of soap from the black bag. Kitt knew that if Michael ever found out, there would be some explaining to do.

"_Now, lead the way to the place you can wash at and I'll follow you."_

"Okay!" she replied and quietly lead the way.


	3. Getting to Know You

Hmm, perhaps I should take a page out of Ariadne's book and reply to reviewers before each chapter proper.

Knightsky and the raving loony: Glad to hear that you're liking the story so far. I hope that my next chapters won't disappoint. Originally, this was a simple 10-page story from my typewriter, but as I retell the story, I'm also going back and improving on it.

As I said before, the original KR characters belong to Glen A. Larson. Marissa, Verona, Parkson and others all belong to me.

Okies, on to the chapter!

Chapter 3: Getting to Know You 

Kitt remained quiet, for the most part, while he watched over a bathing Marissa, as well as anyone that could be trying to go after her. On the way over to where she usually washed up, she had told him a few more things, all of which he found very appalling.

_He beats and starves her, and when she stands up for herself she's thrown, as the slang goes, to the wolves!_ he thought, _What sort of animal would do that to a child?_

"_Humans are such strange creatures," _ the AI murmured out loud.

"Yeah. All the humans I've met, Master Parkson and his friends, have treated me like this all my life."

"_It's nowhere near decent. Marissa, are you washing your dress, too?"_

"Uh-huh! What's the sense in me being clean when my only clothes aren't?"

"_Very true. Although before the day is out, we may change that."_

"Oh? How?"

"_Just leave that to me."_

"Okay." Marissa paused in her washing and stared at Kitt for a few moments.

"_Is something wrong?"_

"Huh? Oh, no. Kitt…you might not be a human, but you're really…nice."

There was no reply for a moment, then Kitt answered quietly, _"You think so…?"_

"Uh-huh!"

Another few seconds of silence before the AI replied in a hushed tone, _"Marissa…I…"_ he gave up trying to explain and added, _"Thank you."_

That caused her to giggle a little, then resume her washing. A couple minutes later, she called out, "I'm done, Kitt!"

"_Good. I'll open the door in the back, right-hand side. Get in."_

As he put action to words, she asked, "Even if I'm soaking wet?"

"_That's all right. You'll dry off quickly, believe me."_

Marissa nodded and quickly entered the vehicle. As soon as she was seated, the door closed on its own immediately.

"Um, who's gonna drive?"

"_I am."_ Just for safety's sake, Kitt activated the passive laser restraint mode, not knowing if the child knew how to use a seat belt. _"Now listen. We'll go into the city and meet up with a friend of mine. He'll help get some food. When I tell you, hide yourself on the floor, okay?"_

"Okay, Kitt. I can hide real good."

"_Good. Are you ready to go?"_

She nodded and added, "Yep," in case he couldn't see her from here.

"_Okay, then let's go."_

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RC was heading down to Helena's ghetto when he heard a familiar voice coming from his wrist. Before departing, Bonnie had issued him one of the comlinks to Kitt, in case he ever needed to get a hold of the AI for anything, or vice versa.

"_RC, come in. Can you read me?"_

Kitt's voice surprised him, especially this soon. He quickly looked around, then activated the comlink.

"Yo, Kitt, needing something already?"

"_Yes, a favor."_

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Shortly before pulling up to the block where RC was, Kitt said, _"Alright. Get on the floor now."_

"O-kay," the child in the backseat replied and quickly ducked down into a little ball.

"_Good. Now, whatever you do, keep quiet. I don't know what RC would do if he finds out exactly why we're doing this."_

She made a little affirmative sound and felt movement beneath her as Kitt began driving again.

A couple of moments later, she heard a door open, this one being on the front left. After then, a male voice with an odd accent said, "Hey now Kitt, what's the big favor?"

"_You know that urban legend that I'm investigating, right?"_

"The one about the ghost in the forest just outside of Helena."

"_Yes. I'm getting some leads as far as the identity. I have reached the conclusion that it is no ghost._ _In order to investigate further, I'll need some human sustenance on hand twice daily."_

"Lemme get this straight, Kitt. You want me to buy food for you? To lure out whoever's scaring the public?"

"_That's correct."_

There was an exasperated sigh before the reply, "Man…when I said to call me for anything, Kitt, I wasn't expecting this!"

The human in the vehicle stomped one foot in irritation, which kicked up some dust from the boot…dust that got into a certain little girl's nose.

The tiny passenger scrunched her nose, but within minutes, she lost the battle and sneezed.

There was a little pause, and the voice asked, "A sneeze?"

"_Ha-choo!" _Kitt quickly said, _"Sorry about that. I am merely practicing sneezing."_

That made the male voice laugh, "Hey Kitt, why would you be learning how to do that?"

"_If you must know, Reginald, something like that could come in handy if I ever need to cover a conspicuous sound for someone, like Michael on a mission. I've learned all too well how the smallest sound can send a mission into failure."_

As she listened, Marissa gaped. It seemed very strange, but Kitt was actually covering for her.

"Okay, okay! I get the point. All right, Kitt, I'll get the food. Twice daily, right? Any preference?"

"_Nothing fancy. It can even be as simple as a cheeseburger meal."_

"Good thing. Okay, I won't be able to get food tonight, so I'll go ahead and order double. The Street Avenger's already got a stakeout in the brewing."

"_They aren't going to like that."_ There was a little pause before Kitt continued, _"I won't tell Devon or the others about your Street Avenger cases this month—"_

"And I help your little case out by getting food twice daily. Deal."

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As soon as RC left the vehicle and Kitt was out of sight, he called out, _"Okay, Marissa. The coast is clear. Get in the front seat, then take one bag and one cup."_

"Uh-huh," she replied and quickly got out of the back, then sat in the right passenger seat. She looked to where this RC had been, and saw two bags full of food, as well as two cups in cupholders in front of her.

"Wow, smells good!" she exclaimed while putting a hand into the bag. A second later, she pulled out one of the burgers, unwrapped it, then began eating it rather quickly.

"_Hey, hey! Not so fast! You'll really hurt your stomach if you wolf down your food!"_

She swallowed before answering, "Sorry…it's a habit. If I didn't eat quickly enough, the master would either throw it out or give the food to the dog."

"_Dog?"_

"Mmm-hmm. It's a real big, wide black and brown dog. It's real mean, too."

"_Does it look like this?"_ Kitt asked and brought up a particular image on the monitor.

"Yeah! That's the one! Wow, how'd you know that?"

"_That's a rottweiler, Marissa, one of the worst dog breeds around."_

"You don't like dogs?"

"_Most of them, no."_ he than changed the subject, _"Marissa, do you know of a good area in the forest that we can both access?"_

She thought for a moment, then replied, "Yeah. A little ways from the waterfall where you found me, along the river, there're some ruins. It used to be a cozy house before it burned down. I use it sometimes."

"_After we get back to the forest, can you take us there?"_

"Huh? You're gonna…you're gonna stay with me?"

"_But of course! I'll be here for a long while, about a month. I swear, I won't let anyone cause you harm."_

He was rather surprised when he heard nothing for a few minutes, then small hiccups and sniffling. _"Marissa, what's wrong?"_

"W-well," she replied as she scrubbed her eyes, "Nobody's done that for me before."

"_Then it's high time for some things to begin changing."_

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Kitt looked about him, feeling rather surprised. Marissa had led him to the spot she was talking about, and it looked…strange, for ruins. The walls were burned to the ground, with a large half-rectangle of cement bricks, with plenty of room for her and Kitt to be in. Apparently, that area was the foundation of the building. The fireplace was completely intact, as well as a stove and what looked like a cement bench just outside. In one corner were a few torn, thin blankets while in another corner was something large and thick. Also just outside of the foundation was a wooden table and a rickety chair. Now, Marissa was exchanging the rags she had been found in for a brown, somewhat worn dress that Kitt had found for her. After lunch, he had driven around parts of the city, looking for a couple changes of clothes, as well as a nightgown, if they were lucky. According to him, it wouldn't be stealing, for the clothes they searched for had been left in front of the house to be thrown away. As some humans put it, the items were "fair game".

"_This is the ruins?"_

"Yep. I call it the Wall-less House."

"_It should work well for a while,"_ Kitt replied to her, _"The sun will be setting in a couple of hours. Where will you be sleeping?"_

"Probably in the blankets."

"_That's what you think,"_ was the answer, _"It's going to be cold tonight. I wouldn't mind if you sleep within me."_

"Within you? Um, won't that be uncomfortable? For you?"

"_Not at all. Michael tends to do it a lot, and for some reason, he prefers it."_

"Um, I heard that name mentioned a few times. Who's Michael?"

"_Someone I work with,"_ he replied, _"It's time for dinner, Marissa."_

"D-Dinner? I actually get to eat more than once a day?"

"_Well, yes."_

She giggled and said as she got in the vehicle, "I could get used to this!"

As she ate, Marissa asked, "Don't you get hungry, Kitt? I mean, you can have some of this if you want."

"_That's sweet of you, Marissa, but I don't consume the same kind of sustenance that you do."_

"Well, what do you eat, then? It's not fair that I eat and you don't!"

Kitt felt somewhat surprised to hear himself chuckle as he replied, _"In your terms, I had a big breakfast before I came here, one that will last me a while. Don't worry, I'll 'eat' when I need to."_

"Oh, okay," she replied, then looked outside at the sun that was just beginning to set. "Wow…this one's really pretty!"

"_It…I have to admit, I can see where it could be pleasing to the eye."_ Kitt sensed something…perhaps surge within him and he found something in his database that he began to put on speakers.

Her head perked up when she heard something that consisted of a piano, a violin, as well as some other instruments. She had been about to ask Kitt something, but she listened quietly instead, as well as watched the sunset.

"It's…it's real pretty…like something that was made for sunsets. What is it?" she asked in a hushed voice that seemed to hold a bit of contentment in it.

In an equally hushed tone, Kitt replied, _"Pachabel Canon in D…some music from a genre that I like. You're right…it seems as though perhaps the setting sun may have been what he was trying to envision when he wrote it. Marissa, I've…never thought about it that way before."_

"I'd sure like to meet him someday and thank him."

"_He's…he died a long time ago…a very long time ago."_

"Oh," she replied and listened quietly while looking as the sun set and the first stars began to appear in the sky.

As the tune ended, she blinked and then looked about her. "It's really pretty," she said again, "I think I like it too." She then added, "Can I go out for a couple please? I better get this trash out of you."

"_Go ahead, but don't go too far from me, okay?"_

She nodded and the door opened. She gathered the trash from the meals and walked a short distance from the house ruins, where she found a basket, then put the refuse in it. The child hurried back and was about to go back in the car when she simply said, "Oh!" and left for another section of the Wall-less House and grabbed the rather large, plastic item and hurried back to Kitt.

"_What is that?"_ she heard him ask, but didn't reply. Instead, she checked where the wind was before she flapped the item open and started mumbling a little as she threw it over him, using the wind to help her.

As soon as the item was covering him, she smiled and said, "You said it'd be cold tonight. You need a blanket too."

He realized that the item was a large tarp. In a hushed tone and without thinking, he said, _"It's very sweet of you, Rissie. Thank you."_ A second later, when he heard her giggle, he realized what he had said.

"Rissie…I don't know why, but I like it," she remarked, opened the door only enough to get in then closed it. She then lay across the back seat, snuggling in. "It's really fuzzy and nice," she said, "I think I can really sleep quickly in this. Kitt, do you sleep too?"

"_Yes, but I don't need to right now. I'll let you know if I need to, okay?"_ Kitt didn't want to correct her by calling it going into recharge, she might or might not know what it meant. He was honest, though, he didn't need to yet. He warmed the air in the car by a few degrees, enough to keep her warm without making it too hot. _"Good night, Rissie. Sweet dreams."_

"Night-night, Kitt," she mumbled, yawned, and fell asleep within minutes.

As she slept, Kitt thought to himself, _I mean it, I swear I won't let anyone harm you, and I do mean **anyone**._


	4. Learning, Realizing

_Note: There is a songfic that I have completed and posted on the Internet that is closely tied to this chapter. The songfic is called "Shooting Stars"._

_To the reviewers: I'm glad that all of you are liking the story so far. I hope you'll like this one, as well as the new chapter that I am already working on. One hint: Things will really get interesting where Kitt's concerned in the next chapter, moreso than this one! And let me know what you think through reviews as I write along, ok? For those that don't know how, you can submit a review from any chapter, not just the first one!_

_Chapter 4: Learning, Realizing_

Through the night, Kitt found another thing that he liked about Marissa while he ran scanners regularly: she didn't snore loudly at all, unlike Michael.

_Just what am I going to do once the month is up?_ he thought several hours later, _I don't dare leave her here…and I don't know anyone well enough to entrust her with. I will need to decide, but…not right now._

The AI looked about him, seeing the stars begin to fade and the first rays of light peek out of the horizon. _Perhaps this natural retreat, as well as Rissie, is precisely what I needed. It's strange, but before yesterday, I didn't look at sunrises and sunsets the same way I do now._

He had no idea what time she was usually forced awake, so after the sun rose, he let Marissa sleep for another hour. _Most likely, it'd be at an indecent time…and with a beating._

As soon as that very thought processed through him, Kitt decided on something he could do in the meantime.

"_Yes," _his voice trailed into existence, _"I'll start by teaching her a few things, like self-defense."_

"Self-defense? What's that?"

The voice came from the backseat, a little sleepy, yet curious.

"_Good morning, Rissie,"_ he replied gently, _"I wasn't going to wake you for another hour."_ His voice hesitated before asking, _"Did you sleep well?"_

"Yeah, better than I had in…better than I ever had," she replied, "Are you still full from breakfast?"

"_Yes, I am. Marissa, this might sound silly, but…do you know how to read? Or write?"_

"Huh? Yeah, I do. I don't remember how I learned to, but I can do both. Why?"

"_After you wash up, I'm going to teach you a few things. Slowly, though, like two subjects per day, not including self-defense."_

"What is that?"

"_A way to make sure you can get out of a nasty situation with your life. If this 'master' gets a hold of you again and hurts you, you can use it to hurry back to me, okay?"_

"Wow, you can really teach me stuff?"

"_But of course!"_ was the cheerful reply. Before he could continue, he saw something around her neck. _"Rissie, is that a locket?"_

"Um, yes it is. I've almost always had it. Why?"

"_I'm just curious, but what or who is inside it?"_

"It's a who…and it's a woman I see in my dreams sometimes. I don't know who she is, but for some reason I feel like I know her. Sounds crazy, right?"

"_I wouldn't be so sure about that. There's a phrase that Michael says sometimes: Truth is stranger than fiction,"_ Kitt replied.

The child merely nodded, then asked, "Were you cozy last night?"

"_Yes, actually. Thank you,"_ was the quiet reply.

"You're welcome! I'll get the big blanket off of you and then wash. Be right back!"

Kitt agreed, then unlocked the door while adjusting the temperature inside the cabin. As she pulled the tarp off then put it somewhere that it would not blow away from, Kitt returned to some of the musings that had kept his mind going through the night.

The sensation was truly something new to Kitt, and he had no idea how it happened. On one hand, time continued as it normally did, yet in his perception, the days went by slowly and quickly at the exact same instance. In the mornings, his little ward would wash in the river, although at times it would be directly under the waterfall. After the bath, he worked with Marissa on self-defense and basic math. In this, he was truly surprised. For a child that had never seen a day of school, Kitt had to admit that Marissa was rather intelligent, in a way that reminded him of Devon. It only took a time or two for Marissa to catch on how to a type of math problem. Every time that the time to work on math came to an end, he had to admit that he felt something very akin to pride…although whenever he remembered how and why this brilliance had been covered up, he would again feel anger towards the human that was supposed to have been raising her.

Close to lunchtime, the two of them would go into the city to get food for the day from RC, as well as to find better clothes for her. On the former matter, it wasn't much trouble at all. On the issue of better clothes they had no luck.

One day, a week and a half after finding the child, Kitt decided that Marissa needed some direct sunlight instead of the kind filtered through the trees and would be having lunch near the edge of the forest. Unknownst to them, Devon and Bonnie had decided on a sunny picnic in the same area.

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As she finished setting out the food, Bonnie looked around her before settling her gaze on the other person with her. She had managed to convince Devon to take a couple of hours off at the least from the convention, stating that he looked pale and drawn. As soon as he had agreed to it, she had uncovered the picnic basket that she had brought along.

Now, as she looked at him, he truly looked distant, as though he wasn't really there, but somewhere else.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, then frowned when he didn't reply. "Earth to Devon Miles!"

"Hm…? Oh…I'm sorry, Bonnie," he replied, sounding distracted, "Some…bad memories. It's been exactly seven years now, since the incident, with not a trace." There was now a definite edge of pain in his tone, "I've wanted to believe that there was even a clue out there, but as you guessed at the café a week and a half ago…I have to face the truth. My niece is dead..."

Bonnie shook her head, "She can be declared legally dead now, but…something tells me that it's too soon to give up. Wilton went to quite an extent to submit your sister's murder and niece's kidnapping as a FLAG case. I don't think he'd want you to just quit." She paused before adding, "And I know Verona wouldn't want you to suffer, either."

There was sharpness in the sudden glare, but it lasted for only a moment before he replied, "Bonnie, you think I want to declare her dead?" He sighed and changed the subject quickly, "Isn't this the area that Kitt's investigating? The one with that ghost?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's not like there's any such thing as ghosts, though. Probably just some prankster. It's not like any of the FLAG staff have seen it yet. There's something strange, though…"

"What do you mean?"

"It's Kitt. Ever since he left for here, he's changed."

That made Devon start. "Changed? How?"

"Well, it's hard to say. I checked him out yesterday and refueled him and during that, he said that he was having a lot of fun where he was. From his voice, I could tell he really was."

"That by itself wouldn't be something to worry about."

"You're right, it's not. When I asked him about the ghost chasing, he immediately changed the topic. Both him and RC have been really tight-lipped about it for some reason. Also, when I reminded him that we leave in a few weeks, he sounded very…hurt and reluctant."

"Now that is odd. There are only a few semblance of emotions programmed within Kitt, and those are to better facilitate the partnership with Michael. Plus, he's never skirted topics before with us. This is much beyond his programming."

"I've been thinking…that maybe, something here is causing Kitt to evolve? Maybe become truly sentient?"

"I'm afraid those questions will have to wait until we leave Montana," was the quiet, quasi-normal reply from Devon.

"D-Devon…look over there," Bonnie suddenly said, looking pale and pointing at the edge of the nearby forest.

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Marissa watched quietly from one of the trees, looking at the older man and the young-looking brunette. They seemed to have a lot of food with them…maybe enough for a couple of days! She shook her head at herself in a reproaching way. Ever since she had met Kitt, there had been no need to steal food from anyone. Now, though, she was watching these two for a completely different reason.

"That older man," she whispered, "He looks like me!"

"_Are you sure about that? Who's out there?"_ Kitt asked from behind her.

"A guy with silver hair and a brown-haired woman. Can you look closer without moving?" she asked.

"_I'm doing that now…"_ he answered, then sounded rather surprised. _"What did you say about the older man?"_

"It's weird, but he looks like me! I don't mean exactly like me, but still…"

The statement gave Kitt reason for pause and he quickly remembered one of the cases that was left indefinitely open, one that was connected to a FLAG member. Before he had a chance to bring up the file, he sensed that his little ward had moved from her spot…and was heading directly towards the two picnickers: Bonnie and Devon.

"_No! Marissa, get back here!"_ he said quietly yet urgently.

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Bonnie stared at the edge of the forest, where she saw the strangest thing: a little child with ragged light-blonde hair and several discolorations in different places. She looked as though she were almost skin-and-bones, yet not quite reaching it. Even from here, her eyes held the mixed expression of fear, curiosity, as well as something more…wild.

Devon truly looked haunted, more than he had been when he had the nightmare weeks ago. "Oh dear God," he murmured, "It's her…"

"Her?" Bonnie asked.

"The child from the nightmare…the one that was being beaten then wrapped in a golden vine."

Bonnie looked right at him and asked, "That's not the only thing bothering you, is it?"

"No," he admitted, turning away from the child, "She also looks vaguely familiar."

They heard a faint, yet familiar voice, one that sounded rather insistent. When the two of them turned back a second later, the child was gone.

The technician took a deep breath then said to Devon, "I think we just met Kitt's 'ghost'."

Devon nodded, although the expression in his face and eyes never vanished, making her worried. "Well…we should at least eat up, don't want this good cooking to go to waste."

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"_That was close,"_ Kitt said, _"Marissa, I hope you weren't going to steal food from them."_

"Uh-uh," she replied, "I wanted to know why that man looks like me. But…"

"_But what?"_

"Those two were afraid of me, just like any others I came near. I guess I was just imagining things, huh?"

"_Maybe not. Rissie, were you born here?"_

She shook her head, "No. I remember that much. I also have a faint image in my head, but it's probably just imagination."

"_What kind of image?"_

"Of being out in the middle of the night and someone dragging me around by the arm. Silly, huh? I guess it's just imagination after all."

"_I'll look into it, just in case. But Rissie, be more careful. I definitely didn't want you to be looking like this upon first meeting them."_

"You know 'em?"

"_Yes. I'll tell you about them later. For now, though, I think you should wash up. We'll be going into the city soon for lunch. Also, after that, it'll be a good idea for you to take a nap. We're going to be up later tonight than usual. I'll tell you about it later."_

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A full two weeks had passed ever since the group had arrived in Helena when Kitt arrived at the semi for a diagnostic as well as a for a refueling. On that same morning, Marissa had told Kitt that she would be checking a spot near their Wall-less House and, with any luck, would be there in time for dinner. When he arrived, Bonnie was already waiting for him.

"Now this is really weird," the woman said as she began the diagnostic, "Your tank is low again. What've you been doing, driving in and out of the city a lot?"

"_Only to see if RC needs anything, as well as to check on Michael a couple of times,"_ he replied smoothly, _"How is the convention doing?"_

She winced, seeing that Kitt had changed topics again, but continued, "Going well…Kitt, that's something I need to talk to you about."

"_What's going on, Bonnie? Are we going to be staying here longer?"_

The tone of the question made her start. It seemed rather…hopeful.

"No," she replied, "As a matter of fact, we're closing up the FLAG exhibit a little early."

"_How early?"_

She took a deep breath before she replied, "I want you back here no later than tomorrow morning. We'll be leaving then."

"…_all right. I'll be back then."_

She blinked. He actually sounded very reluctant and a bit upset.

"Kitt, are you all right?"

"_Yes, Bonnie. I just like this place, and have been enjoying this vacation for the first time in my life. Why do you ask?"_

"You sound upset, that's all."

"_I will be fine. As soon as this is completed, I really must get back."_ In his mind, Kitt thought, _I hope Rissie was right when she said we would figure something out. We'll have to now, we're out of time._

_Kitt…he really has changed and gone beyond his programming,_ Bonnie thought at the same time.

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Kitt hurried back from the place where he met with RC to the forest, using the best routes and just barely keeping from going over the speed limit. He really wanted to talk to Marissa as well as deliver dinner. He knew she was not going to be happy that he had to leave tomorrow morning…and he found himself worrying…as well as thinking about what he was like before coming here and how the AI was now.

_Perhaps…I really have changed, and for the better,_ he thought, _maybe…this is what Michael would call becoming more human._ _Another thing I'll thank Rissie for when I see her._

As soon as he thought that, he began to feel something…bad. It was completely new to him, just like a good number of emotions he had experienced ever since meeting Marissa, but he could tell it wasn't good this time. He carefully analyzed it and tried to compare it to Michael's descriptions.

_Fear,_ he realized after a moment, _I had thought I felt fear before, but…but this is real fear! There's also the sense that I have to hurry back to the forest, and quickly, more than a few moments ago. Has…has something happened to Rissie?_

Kitt quoted something that RC had said once, and this time it really fit. _"Speed limit be damned."_ He increased speed, knowing that this time it was over the limit, then called out, _"Rissie, hold on, I'm coming!"_

The moment he arrived at the Wall-less House, he ran his scanners. Marissa wasn't there, and that by himself made him worried. As he increased his range, he called out, _"Rissie! Are you out there? Rissie!"_

A couple moments later, he heard a high-pitched, thin shrill in the distance. "…iiityyy! …lllp!"

The AI didn't like the sound of her voice, and the increasingly clear words even less. "…Kitttyyyy! Kiiiittyyy! Where are you? Help!"

"_Rissie! I'm over here at the house! Hurry!"_

A couple of moments later, he saw her sprint past some bushes into sight, and took in her appearance.

He exclaimed in shock and worry, _"Rissie!"_


	5. Critical Decision

_Note: I know this is a short chapter, but believe me, I have my reasons for it._

_Chapter 5: Critical Decision_

Kitt exclaimed, _"Rissie!"_ as he looked at her. The child was a mess, moreso than when he first met her. Very fresh bruises covered her and her brown dress was torn in a few places as well. Underneath the tears in the cloth were new welts and cuts as well.

He could see someone else just entering sensor range just as Marissa whimpered, "The master's after me!"

"_Get in, Rissie, and hold on tight!"_ he stated, opening the driver's seat door. The child didn't need to be told twice, and as soon as she was safely inside, he locked all the doors, activated the passive laser restraint, then hit the accelerator, backing up the way that he had come in. As he quickly drove, his cameras detected someone coming in from the direction that his little ward had run from. Going with a gut instinct, he quickly zoomed in, snapped a picture and then saved it in his memory banks. Once they were able to do so, Kitt switched from reverse to drive and left the forest quickly.

"_There was someone behind us," _he said after a moment, _"Was it this 'master' you mention a lot? The man that's abusing you?"_

She sniffled, "Uh-huh…Master Douglas Parkson."

"_I see,"_ was the reply while he quickly ran a scan on Marissa herself. The moment he did, he made a sound that would, on a human, be a sharp intake of breath. _"Good heavens, Rissie…please, tell me what happened."_

She sniffled again and nodded, saying, "The master found me a few hours ago, around lunchtime. He was really, really mad and slugged me, shouting that I had put on airs and was going above my place. Next thing I knew, I had a headache and was back in that awful shack. He kept punishing me, saying that I had really deserved it…"

"_Rissie, I need to know,"_ he said, voice pain-filled, yet quiet, _"What else did he do to you? Something bad that wasn't in the scan before."_

"He-he said he was gonna mark me as his slave, then…he started hurting me on the inside," she whimpered, "I snuck out as soon as I could, but…as you heard, he went after me. He grabbed be, but I used that self-defense stuff you taught me and got loose…" At that, she stopped talking and simply began bawling.

As he warmed the air in the cabin and whispered softly to the crying child, he seethed with anger that was close to rage.

"_It's okay, Rissie…you didn't do anything wrong. I'm here…I won't let him get his hands on you ever again,"_ he said quietly, wishing that he could hug her, _"I don't care what Bonnie says."_

"B-Bonnie? What'd she say?"

"_She says that the group that I'm with, FLAG, will be leaving tomorrow morning."_

"Y-you're going away tomorrow! N-no! Don't leave me alone!"

"_I won't go anywhere without you. Rissie, I've made up my mind. When FLAG leaves in the morning, I won't be with them. You need me far more than they do!"_

"What're you talking about?"

"_I mean I won't leave you again. I'm staying right with you."_

She shook her head, and he continued, _"You're not going to talk me out of this."_

"Kitty, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me," she hiccupped.

"_I won't leave you behind!"_

"Hey, Kitty…I got an idea," she whispered, voice trembling.

"_What is it?"_

"Take me with you."

Kitt was silent for a long moment. Marissa continued, "I mean it. Take me with you. That way, you won't get in trouble or leave me behind."

There was a sound that would be, in a human, taking a shuddering breath, and it was coming from the AI. _"It will be hard living for a while, Rissie. You'd still have to hide until we're far away from here."_

"I don't mind, as long as you're with me," she answered.

There was another long silence before Kitt replied, _"All right. I'll take you with me, but if the people at FLAG try to place you back into his custody, we'll go somewhere where nobody will ever find us, okay?"_

"O-okay…"

"_Now, as soon as we stop somewhere, you use the first-aid kit that's under the driver's seat. After you have dinner, we'll leave for the semi immediately."_

"Semi? What's that?"

"_I'll tell you later."_ He approached the spot where just a few days ago, he and Marissa had watched the meteor storm and went into park.

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An hour after sunset, Bonnie received a message from Kitt, saying that he was on his way, as well as anxious to be on the road. When he read it, she let out a sigh of relief. If he was anxious to be away, it meant that he was back to normal, like he had said a few hours ago.

"That's excellent," Devon said as soon as Bonnie had told him, "It's good that this vacation has done wonders for Kitt, but it's just as well that he is ready to get back to work with Michael."

"I guess even AI like him need a break once in a while too…we ought to come back here next year, we may have found Kitt's kind of vacation spot."

"Well, we'll see, Bonnie…ah, there he is now."

She turned her head and saw that Kitt was opening the bay doors and letting himself in slowly.

"Welcome back, Kitt. I heard that you had fun on this trip," the Englishman greeted.

"_That I did, Devon. How soon can we be on our way?"_

"We were simply waiting for you," he replied, "Michael and RC are on board and everything else is ready."

"_The sooner we're on the road, the better I'll feel."_

Bonnie chuckled and went to tell the driver to take off while Devon asked, "Anxious to get back to work, are you?"

"_Yes, actually."_

He raised an eyebrow at that. Anxiety, coming from Kitt? "Well, there is a small lull in cases, so the first thing we'll do is head back to the Foundation. Most likely, we'll have a case waiting for you and Michael when we get there."

"_Thank you,"_ was the quiet reply.

Shortly after the semi departed, the time was spent with everyone relaying what they had done during either the convention or vacation. In Devon's case, aside from the incident near the forest, the convention had been eventful at some points, while boring during others. When he said that, Michael gasped in mock astonishment.

"You serious? The unflappable Devon Miles, bored with a law enforcement convention?"

He rolled his eyes, "Really, Michael…the convention itself was interesting, it's just the meal times that make it boring."

"_And how did your vacation go, RC?"_ Kitt asked.

The Negro man replied, "Better than I mentioned before, Kitt. I'll tell you about it later."

"_I certainly don't need to ask how Michael spent his time,"_ the Boston voice said, _"Most likely it was out mountain climbing or at one of those horrific derbies…and most likely over a woman."_

"Hey now, Kitt, that's not how it went—"

Devon shook his head and smiled while Bonnie put in, "Sure, sure…face it, we know you that well. Least you didn't wreck up Kitt this time."

"That's because he was elsewhere!"

"Speaking of which," RC asked, "Any conclusions about the ghost hunt?"

"_Yes, actually. There never was a ghost in the first place. One of the local kids made up the story in the first place, to cover the thefts. The things that could be have been returned. Rest assured, there won't be anymore 'hauntings', I made sure of that."_

"That's a relief," Bonnie replied, "I guess Devon and I were wrong. You're not going to believe this, Kitt, but while we were out at a picnic, we both saw a scraggly child."

"_I wouldn't know anything about that,"_ Kitt smoothly replied.

"I guess not," Devon answered, although he seemed rather distant.

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Once everyone had left the back of the semi several hours later, Kitt quickly went from recharge to active, then sound-proofed the cabin.

"_I know you're still awake, Rissie,"_ he said quietly, then asked, _"Are…are you going to be able to sleep tonight?"_

"I-it's okay," a little voice answered from the floor of the backseat, "I've been black and blue before and managed to…somehow."

"_If you can't, that's all right. Lie down in the backseat and rest, at least. If I detect someone coming, I'll let you know so you can hide."_

There was a small affirmative sound, then after a moment, she asked, "The silver-haired man…he was in there. Is that this…Devon?"

"_Yes, that's exactly who it is. His name is Devon Miles. The brunette woman is Bonnie, the man in the dark jacket is Michael…and you already saw RC."_

"How long do you think before we'll be okay?"

"_We'll be going from here straight to the Foundation headquarters. That will take three days."_

"F---foundation? What's that?"

"_FLAG stands for the Foundation of Law and Government. It's a special group that helps people that are in trouble."_

"People that are in trouble…like me?"

"_Yes, just like you. When we get to the Foundation headquarters, I'll tell the others about you then. Until then, you'll have to hide in here. I'm sorry."_

"It's okay…I don't think I would talk to a human before then anyway…"

"_I had a feeling you would say that. After what happened to you tonight, I don't blame you. I hope that someday…you'll be able to trust humans again."_

There was a small sniffle, then a hiccup.

"_Get some rest, little one,"_ he said quietly while he started playing a rather familiar piece, _Pachabel's Canon in D._

"Okay…so I guess I'm yours now, huh?"

There was a long pause before he replied, _"It's odd to say that…that you are my child…but in more than one way, it's true."_

She too was quiet before she answered as she scrambled into the backseat, "I like it…I really do. Okay, I'll get some sleep now. Night-night, Kitty."

"_Good night, Rissie. We'll be safe in here, so I'll go back into a light recharge…or rather, a light sleep."_

"Sweet dreams, Kitty."


	6. Discoveries

Note: I'm really on a roll! Two chapters in one night, and now this one the next day. That's what happens when your muse is talking loud and clear. One advisory: This chapter does have some bad language in it, but not much at all. Well, enjoy and remember to keep sending in the reviews!

The raving loony: Yeah, I know just what you mean about Kitt and Marissa. Just when you think things can't be worse with her, something more happens. Don't worry, though, in this chapter, something unexpected and nice will happen.

Knightsky: LOL, It will get very interesting in this chapter when Michael finds out about Kitt acting very oddly, much less downright lying to everyone.

On with the chapter!

_Chapter 6: Discoveries_

_She found herself in the same darkness, with the familiar heartbeat all around her. The child looked around her again, feeling frightened and alone._

"_**I'm here,"** she head a voice from her left. She looked in the direction the voice came from and saw that its owner, Kitt, had appeared beside her. She also saw that both of them had begun to glow with a golden light._

"_I know you are, Kitty," she answered, "And I'm glad of it."_

_In front of them, four shapes appeared. At first, they were indistinct, but as they solidified, she found that she could recognize them. Three men, one of them with black skin, also there was the one that Marissa had said that looked like her and a woman, the brunette._

"_What are they doing here? Whaa---?" she asked, startled that two sets of golden tendrils had appeared, one on Marissa's left, one on Kitt's right._

"_I don't know either…" he replied and she watched quietly as the tendrils hesitantly went forward. In front of them, an identical glow appeared around the four humans._

_Both Marissa and Kitt were quiet as they watched as their own gold tendrils continued on…and then stopped exactly midway towards the others._

_By then, there was another set of gold that came from the four humans, also hesitant at first. Unlike the ones that stopped in the middle, the tendrils from the humans paused only a moment before merging with the ones from Marissa and Kitt._

_Marissa got the strong feeling that the golden connection here was just as strong and as warm as the one she had with the AI…although there were other emotions, too in this one. Grief, joy, pain, relief…determination._

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The next morning, Kitt went from the light recharge mode into fully active, then quickly awoke the small child within him, yet quietly. For part of the night, she had been plagued by nightmares of the previous day's events and whenever they had gotten bad, he would wake her from it then talk to her until she settled back into sleep.

"Morning already?" she murmured, then looked about her at the walls of the semi, frightened at first. As she slowly woke up, she said, "It wasn't just a dream. We really did leave."

"_Yes, it's real. We're going further away from there by the minute."_

"Good. Kitty…I had another dream again. Like the one shortly before I met you."

"_Another one? What was this one about?"_

"Those four humans."

There was a pause before Kitt replied, _"I see. Rissie, I need to talk to you about something."_

"What is it?"

"_When they do learn about you, they'll need to run a special kind of test on you."_

"Test? It sounds painful."

"_I won't lie to you, it is a bit. It's called a DNA test."_

"Dee-nnn-aaa?"

"_Yes. To do it, they'll need to draw some blood from you. It will hurt a little, but it's needed. You know I wouldn't put you through anything painful unless it was important."_

"What would this test do that makes it so important?"

"_With it, we can find out who your parents are…or were, if they've died."_

One of the _very_ first things, besides basic math and self-defense, that Kitt had taught the little child was familial structure. It shocked him to no end that she did not even know who a mother and father were, much less brothers, sisters or aunts. Like everything else, though, she had caught on quickly.

She blinked, then nodded. "Why do you wanna know that? No, I don't think I wanna know right now. Um, I'm thirsty…where can I get some water?"

"_I'll get some for you."_ There was a pause before Kitt added in a hurried tone, _"Get down, they're coming!"_

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Moments after Kitt had said for Marissa to get down, Bonnie, Devon and Michael walked in.

"_Good morning,"_ he said in a rather normal tone.

"Morning to you too. Have problems sleeping?" Bonnie asked, "You went in and out of recharge the whole night."

"_You know I don't sleep, Bonnie."_

"Yeah, yeah," she answered, "But you're becoming more and more human per day. Maybe you're able to dream now."

"…_you may be right. You'll have to excuse me if I am rather quiet today, I must tend to my child."_

That made all of them do a double-take, the AI included.

"Your _what_?" Michael asked at the same time that Devon said, "What did you say, Kitt?"

"_I said I have to tend to my files._ _I took some pictures of my vacation and I want to put them in the personal archives."_

All of them nodded a bit distantly, while Bonnie peered through narrowed eyes at Kitt. After a moment, she said, "I sure could use some coffee, and I'm sleepy enough that I could use help from both of you with it."

The other two humans nodded and left with her for another section of the semi.

"_That was close,"_ Kitt whispered.

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When they reached the area where the coffeepot was, Bonnie turned to Michael and Devon.

"Did either of you notice anything weird just now?" she began.

"Yeah. For a minute, I thought that Kitt had said he had to tend to his _child_. I misheard, though."

"Maybe, maybe not. This whole time in Montana, he and RC have been pretty tight-lipped when it comes to what they did during their vacation. Plus, as Devon knows, Kitt has been acting very odd. Did you notice last night that there was plenty of emotion in his voice whenever he spoke? More than before?"

"You heard it too?" he asked.

"Yeah. When I told him yesterday that we were leaving early, he didn't just sound upset…he _was_ upset. I don't know why, but he didn't want to leave. Then when he came in, he suddenly wanted to be as far away from Helena as he could and quickly. We chalked it up to anxiety, since he said it was wanting to get back to work, but…I don't know, something about this isn't adding up."

"Yo, guys," RC called as he came in, "I heard that about Kitt."

"Just what were you and Kitt doing together, Reginald?" Devon asked, getting right to the point.

"Nothing much, just helping him out with his ghost hunt," he replied, "Why, what's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Michael said with a shudder, "Kitt's been acting very weird."

"Didn't you notice anything when he checked up on you, Michael?" she asked him.

"Say what? Bonnie, what're you talking about?"

"Kitt went to check on you a few times during the convention."

"Bonnie," he answered, "I'd know if Kitt was anywhere near around, and I saw neither hide nor hair of him the entire time."

That raised eyebrows all around, then Bonnie broke the silence by saying, "Then we really have a problem…because if I'm deducing this right, Kitt's been lying…to all of us."

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As soon as they had left, Kitt said, _"The coast is clear."_

There was a small groan as Marissa scrambled up into the backseat.

"_Are you all right?"_

"Yeah…just sore. Always happens the morning after a punishment."

"_Well, you won't ever have to undergo a 'punishment' again. I'll make sure of it."_

"Th…Thank you, Kitty," was the quiet reply, "Can you tell me how to get around and about this…semi?"

"_I'll bring up a basic blueprint. Look on the monitor."_

She nodded and watched as he brought it up.

"_The set of double-doors are the entrance and main exit, where we came in from. Further up and to the left is the pathway to other areas, first of which is an office, complete with a coffeepot and a water dispenser,"_ he started to explain, _"You can get a drink of water there. To the bottom-left of that is the restrooms, and bottom-right is the sleeping rooms."_

"Huh? Restrooms? What're those?"

"_That's where you…you know."_

She blinked, then nodded, "I think I do."

Kitt said, _"They're back already…? Rissie, get down!"_

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Michael, Devon, Bonnie and RC walked quietly into the main area of the semi, then faced the car.

"Kitt," Michael asked, "Just what have you been up to?"

"_Up to, Michael?"_

"Cut the innocent act, you know what I'm asking."

"_All too well. I am not 'up to' anything."_

RC asked, "Hey, dude, just why were you wanting all that grub?"

That made Michael start. "Grub? You were getting food for Kitt?"

"Like I said, I was helping him with the ghost hunt."

"_And like I told you, it was used to lure out the ghost."_

"Kitt, cut the games. You've been lying to Bonnie, Devon and I all month…and I'm getting the vibe you've lied to RC, too."

"_Now really, Michael, why would I lie?"_

"You tell me," Devon inserted, "You're the one that's been doing it. Were you also playing Pachabel late last night?"

Before Kitt could say anything, the back-right passenger door suddenly opened.

"_No!"_

There seemed to be a little whisper replying, "…told you, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. You were gonna tell them anyway, right?"

Kitt didn't reply, but he didn't close and lock the door again, either. There was the soft scrape of human flesh on upholstery before a pair of bare feet landed on the metal floor. The owner of the whispery voice backed up a couple of steps, enough so that the car could close the door without hurting her.

Everyone's eyes widened at what they saw, but Bonnie and Devon's expressions were more pronounced. Her mouth worked silently while he went pale and said quietly, "Oh dear lord…"

"A kid…? That's what Kitt's been hiding?" Michael asked, incredulous.

Devon took a breath, then asked in an unsteady voice, "Who are you…?"

The little scraggly girl that he and Bonnie had seen at the picnic didn't say a word, merely placed a little hand on Kitt's side.

"Can you talk?" Bonnie asked.

Again, no reply.

"Hey, kid, answer us, this isn't funny!" RC snapped.

She didn't reply, but she did shrink back, eyes widening with terror.

"_RC!" _Kitt sounded rather protective. His tone changed to something more warm, _"It's all right, you don't have to say anything. Let me do the talking."_

She looked right at Kitt, nodded, then said quietly, "Okay. Thank you."

"Kitt, just what's going on?" Devon asked.

"_Please don't be harsh on her, she won't talk to a human, for good reasons. Her recorded name is Marissa Parkson, although due to the events of the past month, I have come to the conclusion that it isn't her real name at all. The closest match I have come up with is within the FLAG database. I suspect that her actual name is—"_

Devon completed the statement in a semi-hushed voice, "Marissa Celeste Miles…"

"_Y-yes…that is the name. Devon, how did you know?"_

Marissa's eyes widened again, but not with terror this time. Instead, her expression was one of shock.

"My god…" he continued, at first in an incredulous, soft tone, "This…Kitt, do you realize what you've done?"

"_What I've done is remove a child from a very harmful situation. The man that I suspect kidnapped her in the first place was subjecting her to cruel and inhuman circumstances."_

Bonnie asked quietly, "Kitt, why didn't you say flat out what you had found?"

"…_I had to protect her,"_ was the reply, _"For all I knew, if I had told you, you would have had her sent back to the same circumstances that put her in this shape."_

Devon slowly walked towards Kitt and Marissa, which made her squeak and shrink back further.

"Marissa…come here," he said very quietly as he crouched down, "Please. I…I won't hurt you."

The look on her face was one of skepticism. _"That might not be a good idea right now. She's undergone through some nasty trauma a few hours ago, worse than usual…"_

The little girl peered at the older man and asked, "Kitt, can you make him promise? That he won't hurt me, inside or out?"

"Come again?" Michael asked.

"I swear to God I won't harm you in any way," the Englishman replied.

She looked right at Kitt, then nodded before she walked a few steps towards the man while Michael talked quietly to the AI from the front-passenger side. A few times, his expression changed in a negative manner.

"Bonnie…could you get the picture from the sleeping chamber?" he asked quietly. She nodded as a reply and left quickly. He then stared right at the child, trembling.

"Marissa," he asked, "Do you know who I am? At all…?"

She replied, "Kitt says your name is Devon…you look a bit weird."

"Weird, how so?"

"Well…you look like me."

His eyes began to glimmer at this and he said in a slightly choked voice, "If I'm right…there's a reason why we look alike." He then saw the gold locket that was around her neck. "What's that?"

"This…? It's mine. I've always had it."

"Are there any pictures inside it?"

"Uh-huh." She then reached up and opened the locket, letting the man look inside.

Within was a picture of a rather beautiful young woman. She had fire-red hair that went down to her back, green eyes…and a rather proud, yet sweet expression on her face. The likeness between the woman in the picture and Marissa was startling.

Devon gasped softly, recognizing the person in the picture immediately. "Good lord, this is…" He heard Bonnie come in and quietly asked for the picture, which she gave over immediately.

Marissa looked at the night-stand picture in his hand and her eyes went wide as well. "That's the same woman! What's going on, why do you have a picture of her?"

Michael looked at the picture, having never seen it before. The same woman with fire-red hair was in it, sitting in a chair…but in her lap was a small child with light blonde hair and hazel eyes. He looked between the child in the picture and Marissa.

Bonnie's eyes also went wide and she said quietly, "It's her."

Devon nodded and said, voice trembling, "It's you…it's really you!" He touched her face gently, almost disbelieving what he saw.

"Wh-who is she? Who's the woman in the pictures?" the child asked again.

The brunette answered, "That woman is Verona Miles…your mother, Marissa. Devon's sister."

The girl blinked and asked, "That means that Devon's…my uncle? That's why I look like him?"

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing his eyes shut. At first, she was alarmed, close to panic, until she remembered that last night, the silver-haired—her uncle had done something like this with the human Michael and this Bonnie. _Is this a hug…?_

Michael looked a little surprised by what he saw and all that he had heard. _This little child Kitt had found was Devon's niece, the one that he had mentioned in the café on the first day…?_ The surprise became rather evident on his face when the older man tried to speak, with only sounds as the result. When Wilton Knight had died years before, Michael was in no mental shape to be looking at anyone's reactions, so the scene before him now was a shock. He knew from experience that Devon did at times lose his temper, especially when someone had tried to poison Michael once…but before now, he had never seen or heard the normally otherwise unflappable Englishman cry.

He blinked and tapped both Bonnie and RC on the shoulder, then jerked his head towards the office. They nodded and quietly left the room.

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Once they had entered, Michael sat down on one of the couches, then said, "Those two—those three definitely don't need an audience. Besides, I doubt Devon would like finding out that someone saw him crying like that."

Bonnie nodded, then asked, "What did Kitt tell you? I know you were talking to him."

"Yeah…" he sighed loudly then said, "I took a look at Kitt's recorded scans of Marissa, both when he found her and last night. Whoever had kidnapped her was beating her brutally and starving her…"

"Good lord," Bonnie said quietly.

"That's why Kitt wanted food twice a day," RC said, "To feed her."

"It gets worse," Michael continued, and the dark, angry expression that he had when talking to Kitt returned, "Remember when she asked Kitt to make Devon promise not to hurt her? She had specified 'inside or out'?"

"I don't like the sound of that. Did he tell you why?" she asked.

"Yeah, he did. Her words were that he had marked her as his slave last night. Guys, the plain truth is that Marissa was raped."

"Holy---!" RC exclaimed.

"Devon's going to go through the roof when he hears that," the technician added, "It's a miracle she's held onto her sanity." She paused a moment to calm down before she added, "We pretty much know that child is Devon's missing niece. If I know Devon, he's going to go after the…the kidnapper and gain custody of Marissa. If either one's going to stand up in court, we'll need some concrete evidence of her identity, more than what he's told us about her."

Michael knew she had been about to call the man something uglier than "kidnapper". He nodded and said grimly, "Bonnie, does the Foundation have the facilities to run DNA testing? That would be as concrete as it gets and still be admissible in court."

"Yes, back at Foundation HQ. She'd need to have her blood drawn."

"I think you'd have to go through three people to get that done," RC put in grimly.

"Devon, Marissa _and_ Kitt, I know," the other man answered, "But if we've got any chance of keeping her out of this monster's hands, it'll have to be done."

"Devon and I are going to have to really work on Kitt, and I'm not talking about maintenance," Bonnie added with a nod, "I don't think programming can be put in to eliminate or inhibit his new capacity to lie to us, so something else will have to be done."

The men nodded, wondering just how they were going to handle this.


	7. One Busy Day

Notes: I guess I'm still on a roll with "Marissa". A third chapter so soon! By the way, as the summary says, this is just the beginning of everything. If anyone wants to post this story and any other KR fics on mine, go right ahead. All I ask is that you send me a message with the website's URL. Pretty fair, don't you think?

Oh, lemme give ya all the summary for another story I wrote years ago and will eventually be posting as a fanfic. It's called "Knight of the Children".

During a special outing, the adults in FLAG HQ are taken hostage, leaving only three them and Kitt free (Michael and two others)…and a large number of the staff members' offspring. One of the hostages is Devon Miles. Marissa and the other youngsters are about to send out a very clear message to the terrorists: You don't take on FLAG. The kids don't call themselves the Children of the Foundation for nothing.

_Now, to the reviewers:_

_The raving loony: chuckle Yeah, Kitt did pretty much lie to all of them, and to his mind, he was rather justified. And yeah, Marissa is Devon's niece, and the murder-kidnapping's been a wound that Devon's never been able to heal. No wonder he broke down like that, eh?_

_Kittkatt: Heh, I'm just getting started. I plan on posting more stories involving this little lady._

_Lerrinus: Glad you like the story so far. As to your question about what will be done with KITT and his new ability to lie, that'll get answered in this chapter._

_On with the fanfic!_

_Chapter 7: One Busy Day_

About a couple of hours after the unexpected reunion, Devon stood in the doorway between the office and the main compartment, where Kitt usually was. The Englishman had faintly heard footsteps as people leave the room when he hugged the child close to him, sobbing. _I'm grateful, Michael, Bonnie…RC,_ he thought.

Now, he watched as she sat in the driver seat and talked to Kitt.

"…_let's go over this again, Marissa. It's just as important to know as the familial structure."_

"Okay, I'm ready."

"_Just what I expected from you. All right, how do you address or refer to the woman that gave birth to you?"_

"Mom…or mother."

"_Either one works. Although I have heard smaller children use 'mommy'."_

Her nose scrunched as she said, "That sounds too childish!"

"_Somehow, I don't see you using that either. How about the husband of your mother?"_

"Father," she answered without hesitation.

"_Very good! See, I knew you'd catch on quickly enough when you weren't quite so stressed."_

"Yeah, now that I'm away from the master."

"_You don't have to call him that anymore. He's not your master, and you know it now."_

"S-sorry. I guess it's what you called an old habit."

"_It's all right. What's the man's name?"_

"Mas—Douglas Parkson. Kitt, I already told you that!"

"_I want you to get into the habit of using that instead of 'master'. All right?"_

In a way, hearing that made Devon angry, but he fought to keep it from the surface as he watched.

"Okay, Kitty."

He could barely keep from laughing at that. _Kitty?_ He had a feeling that if anyone else were to use that name, Kitt would come unglued.

"_One other thing. If someone adopts you, you also call him 'father'."_

"Adopt? What's that?"

"…_in this case, it means to take a child in as his or her own."_

"Oh! But Kitty…shouldn't I call you father, then? I mean, you said so last night, I am your child."

"_A-absolutely not. It wouldn't feel right. It isn't always the case. Besides, Devon sees Michael as his son, but that state of address is never used."_

"That sounds confusing."

"_Humans rarely are logical."_

"But you are, Kitt? You've changed ever since we first met."

There was a long pause on that, and the observer had to agree.

"_Let's continue. How do you address Devon?"_

"Huh? D-Devon? Oh…hm." She thought for a moment, then replied, "Uncle Devon?"

"_That's right. He is your uncle, so use that from now on."_

"Okay!"

"_Now, pretend that Bonnie is Devon's sister. What would you call her?"_

"Oh, I know that one. Aunt Bonnie!"

"_Good!"_

"Kitt, is Bonnie related to De—Uncle Devon?"

"_No, but he does see her as his daughter."_

She giggled and said, "So if they're brother and sister, how come last night he was doing what mas—Parkson called making passes at her?"

The AI certainly sounded flustered at that question. Upon this, Devon couldn't help but laugh out loud and say, "As a television show host said once, children say the most unusual things."

Marissa yelped, startled, which made him smile even more.

"_That's 'Kids say the darndest things', Devon, and it was Art Linkletter who stated that."_

He shrugged and said, "I stand corrected. Marissa, are you hungry?"

"Uh-huh. Last time I ate was last night, before we got here. Um, can I go get some water from the…dis…dis…"

"_Dispenser, Marissa."_

"Yeah! Dispenser."

He looked at her with a bemused expression. "How did you know we have one?"

"_I showed her a basic blueprint of this semi just before you came in and cornered me, Devon."_

"That explains it. Go ahead, Marissa, and have Bonnie show you how to use it."

"Thanks, Uncle Devon!" She waved and scurried past him through the doorway.

After he was sure they were alone, he said firmly, "Kitt, you know I'm not pleased with the fact that you lied to us."

"_I didn't have much of a choice at the time, Devon. I was not as informed of her true identity as I have been for the past few days. Besides, the only actual lie I told was of checking up on Michael in Helena. The rest was everyone else assuming something and I let them believe what they wanted."_

"Mostly misleading, then," he conceded, "But the fact is that you did lie. I don't know how you gained that ability, and I have a feeling that not even Bonnie could program it out of you."

"_Probably not. She's right…I have changed since meeting her."_

Devon sighed, frustrated. A long pause ensued, then he continued, "Kitt, I want you to promise me that unless it is under the most dire circumstances or under my orders, you will not lie to or mislead us again. And _record_ that promise."

There was another pause before Kitt spoke. _"Recording function activated."_

The Englishman nodded, then stated, "Repeat after me: I swear on this day…"

"_I swear on this day…"_

"That I will not mislead or lie to FLAG staff members again…"

"_That I will not mislead or lie to FLAG staff members again…"_

"Except under extreme circumstances or by the order of Devon Miles."

"_Except under extreme circumstances or by the order of Devon Miles."_

The older man nodded in satisfaction, then said, "Deactivate recording mode, then save to permanent archives in the CPU. And Kitt…if you ever break that oath, there will be consequences. Is that clear?"

"_As Michael says, Devon: as crystal."_

"Good. Now that the matter is taken care of…we are close enough to one of the larger cities. We'll be spending the day there, most likely."

"_You probably know this better than I do, but it is her—"_

"You're right, I do know it all too well. It's going to be a very busy day."

"_Hopefully a fun one, too."_

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As soon as the semi had arrived in the city (and the little one had a quick bite to eat), Devon, Michael, Bonnie and Marissa all went in Kitt. RC had opted to visit some old friends in the area, although he promised to Devon that he would be at a certain spot come early evening. The first thing on the list was a clothing store. Devon had recommended it, saying that he knew the owner pretty well and would not mind if the reason for the shopping trip had no shoes…yet.

"Aww," Marissa frowned, "But shoes hurt!"

"They don't have to, little one," he replied, "but they are necessary…most of the time. Don't worry, we'll make sure they won't hurt."

As soon as they arrived, the owner, an average-height man with straight, brown hair that was Michael's age looked up from the main counter, saw who had walked in, then smiled.

"Long time no see, Devon," he said as he walked over to the group.

"It's only been about a year, Mark," was the feigned-put-upon reply, but there was a definite twinkle in his eyes.

"So, what can I do for you today?"

"This may sound odd, but we're looking for…children's clothing."

"Oh really?" Mark asked as he raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the entire group. His eyes rested on the little child that stood beside the Englishman. "Devon, you know the rules about shoes."

"What rule is that?" she asked.

Bonnie murmured, " 'No shoes, no shirt, no service.'"

Devon was replying, "Yes, however, she doesn't have a pair. We're out shopping today, and a shoes store is also on the list."

The man peered at the child, then at his old friend before he said, "Wait a minute…this isn't Verona's kid, is it?"

"Yes, it is. She was found recently."

"Ohh, that explains a lot right there. I knew that Verona's murder and the missing child really left wounds, old friend."

Michael did a double take at Devon upon hearing this.

Marissa couldn't keep it in. "You know my mom?"

Mark turned to her and nodded, "Yeah, I do. Your uncle and I were in the war and we were at your mother's wedding. You guys get the bas—the monster that took her?"

"Not yet, but we will, believe me." His tone turned dark as he said this.

"I don't doubt it. Ok, I normally don't do this, but I'll waive that little rule. I'll show you where the children's department is…then we've got to talk, Devon."

"Certainly, old chap."

Bonnie said quietly to Marissa, "Let's go, I'll help you with this…" then led the child off as Mark showed them where the section was.

"I believe I'll see if he has any new attire since I was last here," Devon said quietly.

"Yeah, think I'll look too," Michael answered and followed him, causing the older man to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

As soon as they arrived in the men's wear department, Devon stated quietly, "If you think I believe that you're changing your style in clothes, then I truly am disappointed."

There was a small laugh from Michael, then, "Busted. Yeah, I need to talk to you about Kitt."

The older man's eyes and smile held an "a-ha" look to them before replying, "If you're worried about his new…ability, I've taken care of that already."

"You had programming on hand for this?"

The Englishman shook his head, "I handled it as I would for any human: had him take a specific oath, record it and save onto the CPU."

There was a small chuckle, then Michael said, "That wasn't originally what I was going to tell you about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I asked about that ghost hunt, and he finally told the truth about it. The one that folks considered a ghost was Marissa. Only things she ever stole were food and maybe soap once in a while."

"I wouldn't doubt it. She was being starved."

"Yeah. There's something else, too, and I didn't want to say it in front of your niece."

"What happened?"

"Kitt let me have a look at her vital scans, especially when he first met her and one from last night. You remember when she made you promise not to hurt her, inside or out?" That got an impatient nod. "Devon, last night Marissa was raped."

It was very hard to tell at first how the older man took this bit of news. However, a few moments later, the expression on his face cleared into pure fury, like it had when someone had tried to kill Michael with poison years before.

In a tone of rumbling thunderclouds, the older man said, "I'm going to kill him."

"Hey hold on. Devon, killing this jackal isn't going to help Marissa any."

"He harmed my niece!"

"If Kitt's tone is any indication, he's just about out for the man's blood too. We'll get him put away for good, don't worry." Michael sighed as he added, "Opening a FLAG case, though, might be a problem."

"Not so, my boy. There is already a FLAG case on the matter, one that Wilton submitted for me and pushed to keep open."

"When your sister was killed." Even though Marissa had been found, Devon's eyes still held sharp pain, as well as a glimmer. "Just what happened to her?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"Mutilation," was the tight, pained reply, "I…had to go up to Toronto to identify the body…"

Michael winced, thinking about the times that he had been rather harsh on the man before and after Wilton Knight's death...and felt rather guilty. He clapped a hand on the older man's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Devon. I should have seen it before…in my old life, I'd come across a few folks traumatized by things like that. I should have seen it—"

He shook his head and said quietly, "No, it's not your fault. Not many that knew were still alive by the time you came to us." He then surprised Michael by turning and taking him into a rather firm embrace.

"…Devon?"

"I know I haven't said it before to you…not actually," the older man said quietly, "But Michael…I…I love you as a son. You're very important to not only FLAG, but to me personally."

He could tell that the admission surprised Michael, who quietly hugged him back.

After letting go, Devon said quietly, "It's taken the events of this month…for me to realize some things…including what I've taken for granted."

There was a mere nod from Michael before the younger man said, "We _will_ take him down, I promise you."

"Thank you."

_What I heard while observing Marissa and Kitt was a shock,_ he thought to himself, _then when I asked her what he meant…that was a true wake-up call, moreso than when Michael was walking out of the Foundation and my life years back._ He would wait on telling the young man and Bonnie this until later. This was a day of realizing and cherishing close ties as much as it was a special day for Marissa and Devon himself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Michael asked quietly.

"Oh…just thinking again about the things we take for granted," he replied quietly, thinking, _I may as well tell him now…after all this does involve his partner._ "This morning," he continued softly, "While I was observing Marissa with Kitt, I found something rather…alarming, something that was a true wake-up call." He sighed, "Afterwards, I asked her just what was meant by it…Michael, we came this close," he held up a thumb and forefinger that did barely touch, "to losing Kitt for good. What had happened to her last night was the last straw for him, and if she hadn't talked him out of it, he would have gone into hiding with her…and we would have never seen either one again."

Michael looked angry at first, then paled as the older man continued, "It's…she even quoted something he had said to her about FLAG: 'You need me far more than they do.'"

"Damn," he whispered, "I remember back then, too, when I had decided to leave for good, said that I knew I was not needed and was the wrong man…and you ran after me. The same thing's happening, and this time, we're all guilty of doing that to Kitt."

There was a small nod before he heard Bonnie call out, "Devon, Michael…come on over here and have a look at this!"

000000000000000

When the group left the clothing store, Marissa looked different. Instead of the torn and ratty brown dress, she now wore a leaf-green dress with a white collar and cuffs, as well as puffed sleeves. Mark had surprised them all by throwing in a pair of black shoes that were just the right size, and for free! At the next stop, Devon and Bonnie only had gone in, looking for child's size socks, leaving Michael and Marissa with Kitt.

"_Michael,"_ the AI asked a bit hesitantly, _"Did something happen in the clothing store? You haven't said a word to me since then."_

He sighed quietly then cleared a frog in his throat and tried to find a way to explain what he had learned and what he thought of it…and for once, found himself unable to. _How do you explain to a program that you did the exact same thing that you accused it—no, him—of doing years before…?_

He settled for saying the only thing he could, "Kitt…I'm really sorry."

"_For what?"_

"For…things. I know Marissa needs you…without you, she would probably still be going through hell, maybe try to take her own life…but Kitt, FLAG needs you too."

"_Michael, watch your language around Marissa! Really…! I don't think—"_

"I need you too, partner. I'm speaking for myself, but I see that I've been taking you for granted…and I'm sorry."

Kitt was speechless at this for a long time, and then when he did speak, it was quiet and surprised at the same time. _"Michael, I…I don't know what to say."_

He smiled and chuckled, then said, "I don't think you need to, buddy."

A short time later, Devon and Bonnie came out again, and as soon as they had gotten inside the car, the older woman handed a package (already opened to make it easier), then asked, "Do you know how to put those on, Marissa?"

"Yeah, I do. Mas—Parkson always had me get those and shoes, among other stuff," she replied and carefully removed the shoes long enough to put the socks on her feet. "They feel weird."

"Yeah, but you'll get used to them after a while," she replied and smiled at the child.

"_What's next on the list, Devon?"_ Kitt asked.

"A good hairdresser," was the frank reply.

"_I know just the one,"_ Kitt said, and there was definite excitement in his tone, _"If you don't mind, I'll do the driving on this one."_

"Go right ahead," Michael told him, and Devon agreed.

With that, Kitt immediately went into autopilot.

A couple of minutes into the auto-drive, Marissa had been about to ask something when a rather loud growl filled the cabin.

"_I see someone's hungry already,"_ Kitt said with amusement.

"After this, we'll all go out for lunch. That sound okay to you, Devon?"

"But of course, my boy."

"What's a hairdresser?" the young girl asked.

"_It's a place where people go to get their hair either trimmed or cut. In your case, cut."_

"Cut…? How come?"

"_Well, as it is, it won't grow too well. When it does get cut, I have a feeling that it'll grow back to its current length in no time, as Michael tends to say."_

"Hmm…" She looked at everyone, then straight at Bonnie. She studied the older woman before asking, "Can I get mine like hers?"

"_I think that would be up to Devon, little one."_

"And I say that we'll see what the hairdresser has to say about it. If she thinks it would be good on you, then I don't have a problem with it," the older man put in.

"If it's okay, Devon, I'd like to go out and pick up some toiletries," Bonnie said quietly. It was a little obvious whom they were meant for.

"Certainly," was the answer.

000000000000000

It was a couple of hours later when the group left the hairdresser that Kitt had recommended. As it turned out, it was one that Michael had been to a couple of times (which caused Devon to shake his head and roll his eyes a little when he wasn't looking) and knew pretty well.

After snipping off the jagged parts off, Marissa's hair was slightly past shoulder-length, instead of going down to her upper leg. The child had pouted a bit, but had settled down soon after the cutting had been completed. It was then washed with a type of liquid that she said smelled funny and was runny (which got a laugh out of Michael and a chuckle out of Devon), dried with a hair dryer (Marissa had wriggled a little bit at first, saying that it tickled), then styled (which hurt a little, but she didn't say a word about it, merely held still).

"_It looks like the hairdresser agreed with you, Marissa,"_ Kitt remarked as they came out. He had just returned with Bonnie from her little bit of shopping, _"You look rather pretty. Not that you weren't before, of course, but—"_

She simply laughed and said, "Thanks, Kitt…but wow, I really look different than I did this morning!"

"I'll say," Bonnie said with a grin, seeing that the little girl's hairstyle was identical to her own, "You look gorgeous! Out to break some boys' hearts, huh?"

Marissa looked very confused at that while the men shook their heads.

"I'll explain someday when you're older," the woman added.

"Ok, Bonnie."

000000000000000

It was shortly before sunset when the group arrived at a casual restaurant that was a part of the local park. The place was agreed upon by the adults (although it wasn't Devon's first choice, he knew that his little niece's stomach wasn't quite ready yet for things like escargot…he didn't even know what kinds of food she would like) and had a rather nice view from the slightly-raised patio.

RC met the group at one of the tables, quietly gesturing to a spot where Kitt would easily be able to stay close to them, something that the AI appreciated greatly.

Michael ordered steak with potatoes (and was surprised when Devon did the same) while RC ordered a double cheeseburger with all the fixings.

"You and I are gonna get along just fine, little dudette," he had remarked when she made her order (the same as RC's, but with fries and a soda), "You definitely know good food when you see it."

She simply chuckled and shrugged.

The Englishman spoke rather quietly to the waitress, who simply nodded and whispered back for a moment before heading back to get the orders filled.

As soon as the food arrived, Devon took a spoon and clinked lightly against his water glass. Everyone turned towards him (and Marissa looked confused).

The older man said to them all, "As all of you know by now, my sister had been killed and Marissa kidnapped when she was only two years old. Back then, she was my favorite niece, just as she is now. For quite a time in the years, I wondered if I would ever see you again in this life, little one."

The child looked a little abashed as well as sympathetic.

"This past month has been a time of great change for all of us, but most especially for Kitt, myself and Marissa." He looked directly at first the car, then her and continued, "I am truly more grateful than I can express, Kitt, that you found, protected and brought her here." When his gaze fell on her, he added in a softer tone, "And I'm as grateful that you are alive and mostly in one piece…"

She gave what she hoped was a comforting smile at her uncle.

"Michael, I know that at first we didn't get off to much of a good start…and I haven't forgotten what almost happened a few months after you got started with FLAG. As I told you earlier today, you are very dear to me, as is Bonnie."

He nodded quietly, "Likewise on all points, Devon."

The older man smiled affectionately at the man he saw as his son before he addressed the AI, "Kitt…you truly are one of a kind. This morning, I realized just how close we came to losing you forever. Not only does FLAG and Marissa need you …but so does Michael, in his life…and so do I in my own," he admitted quietly, "and if we've ever made you feel like that is not the case, I am truly sorry."

"Life's plain dull and boring otherwise, buddy," Michael added, to which everyone agreed.

"_Michael, Devon…I…again, I truly don't know what to say. That's twice in the same day that you catch me speechless. Just when I think that perhaps I have outworn my use…I guess the only thing I can say is…thank you."_ Kitt's voice was quiet, and they could tell by tone that he was certainly touched by the sentiments expressed.

"Everyone, without us knowing it, today might have ended very differently. It's only fitting that this day be not only your special day, my dear, the first day of a new life for you…and a new start in life for all of us, all at the same time," he concluded before looking directly at the child. After a quiet moment, he added with a warm smile, "Happy birthday, Marissa."

"H-How'd you know…? Thank you, Uncle Devon," she replied, came over to him and gave him a big hug, which he returned, smile still on his face.

"_Happy Birthday, Rissie,"_ Kitt said quietly and warmly.

"Rissie?" Devon asked, curious.

"_That's my affectionate nickname for her, Devon."_

"I wouldn't mind it from you though, uncle," she added, "This is going to be one birthday I don't think I'm ever gonna forget. I'm nine years old now."

As the sun began to set, the lights around the patio began to come on, and a familiar song began to play, coming from Kitt.

"Pachabel's Canon in D?"

"Uh-huh! We both like it."

"Did he introduce it to you…Rissie?" he asked, trying out the nickname in his mouth at the same time.

"He sure did, first day he found me."

"You both have very good taste in music, I see," he answered with a quiet smile.

The food arrived just in time for the sun to finish setting and the first stars to come out. _Devon's right,_ Michael thought, _this day almost became disaster…and now, it's a new start for everyone._


	8. Knight Time Chasing and Chatting

It's been an interesting week and a half, with plenty of chapters done, but there are plenty more to go. I'm glad that the idea of replying to the reviewers before each chapter is hitting it off so well, so I'll keep doing that from now on.

There are some parts of the story you're reading that were not originally in the typewritten version, such as KITT teaching her some of the basic stuff like familial structure and address. Another that was not in the original was spending the day (that happens to be her 9th birthday) in the city with a makeover and a sunset dinner. Yet another is this chapter.

To the reviewers:

Theravingloony/chuckle/ You noticed that bit, huh? Glad you caught it, it was not intentional, as I said in the edit note. Also, thanks for the compliment about Devon. At first, I didn't like him much either, but eventually that opinion changed. Now, he and KITT are my top two faves on the show. Personally, I see him as someone that is emotional, but keeps it on the inside most of the time.

Kittkatt: Glad you like it so far. And yes, "Knight of the Children" is pretty interesting, as it will also reveal some things about Marissa's and Devon's lineage. Now, I warn you guys in advance, it may seem a bit…unusual, but if you think about it, it also fits them both. It's not exactly sorcery (heck no), but let's just say that lineage isn't the usual kind, either. Besides, I've seen weirder stuff in the fanfics, no offense.

On with the fic!

_Chapter 8: Knight-Time Chasing and Chatting_

There had been plenty of discussion at the park restaurant as to whether they would be spending the night in the city or in the semi. After all, the majority of the group had been tired from their excursion and would not be on the road all night, too. In the end, it had been decided to bring the semi to a hotel and depart in the morning.

When Marissa heard that, she was a bit hesitant before agreeing to it. Kitt knew why: because every night for the past month, she had been sleeping in the backseat. When Michael had heard that, he had said with a laugh, "The kid's got good taste in sleeping arrangements!" which made her a little puzzled while Devon shook his head bemusedly.

"_Don't worry, Rissie,"_ Kitt had said reassuredly, _"I very much doubt that they're going to let anything bad happen to you, especially Devon. If anyone tries to, they're in for a bad night."_

"He's right," Bonnie added, "Nobody's going to get their hooks into you again. Not on our watch."

The little girl smiled and said something quietly that seemed to fit, "Thanks guys."

"Guys, huh? I'm a girl too!" was the fake-indignant reply, before she continued seriously, "While you were getting your hair taken care of, I bought some things for you…like your own stuff to wash with, so that you don't smell like Michael…"

The man in question sniffed and put in, "I thought that scent was familiar…if I didn't know all that I do now, I'd have come unglued at you letting someone mess with my travel pack, Kitt."

"_It was the only soap I had on-hand, Michael."_

"Yeah, I know, I know, buddy. But I'll let it slip just this once. No more incidents of borrowing, you hear me, Kitt?"

"_Loud and clear."_

Bonnie looked meaningfully at them before continuing, "I also picked up a hairbrush and a nightgown."

"Umm, what's a nightgown?"

"It's something that little girls and women wear at night when they're going to sleep," she answered patiently.

The waitress came out and said quietly, "Mr. Miles? That item you wanted is ready…"

He nodded gratefully, then asked Marissa, "Do you remember your mother ever making something like cake?"

"Cake? What's that?" she asked, owl-eyed.

"Um…you'll see soon, my dear."

000000000000000

As the group drove to the hotel, Marissa looked at the others with an odd expression. Her stomach felt a little weird, too.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Michael asked.

"Kiddo?"

"_Don't mind him, Rissie."_

"Um…okay. Well, my stomach does feel a little strange…like the inside' pressing onto the outside. I don't feel bad, really…but it's weird."

"_I wouldn't doubt it. You ate more today than you have in seven years. That odd sense is a full stomach. I didn't expect you to take seconds and thirds on the cake, though."_

"That stuff was cake? It was really good!"

"Yes, but too much isn't good for little children," Devon, who was sitting beside his niece in the backseat, replied.

She hmphed, as she had heard the RC guy do, then said, "I bet grown-ups get to eat all the cake they want!"

"_You would be surprised, Rissie."_

"Maybe, maybe not." She then looked behind her for the third time, then said, "Hey…that weird car's been right behind us for a while."

"What weird car?" Bonnie asked, then turned around as well…then saw an unsuspecting green pickup truck that indeed, had been tailing them since the park.

Marissa peered out of an open car window so she could get a better view…then saw—

"A red beam on me?" She was about to add that it was pretty.

"Rissie!" Devon exclaimed as he moved very quickly, yanking her back into Kitt. The moment her head cleared the door there was a sound and a flash that hit the left side mirror for a second.

"Kitt, shut that window!"

"_Already on it, Devon."_

"Don't tell me you've got some enemies, Michael?" Bonnie asked, slightly sarcastic.

"_Not this time."_

"Nope, three guesses as to the target," he replied and heard another gunshot, this one ricocheting off of the rear window. Instinctively, Marissa yelped and Devon (in the same way) had wrapped an arm around her.

"_Those bullets aren't going to get in here, Marissa. I'm coated with something that keeps me from being hurt by things like this,"_ Kitt explained.

"Save that stuff for later," Michael snapped, "We've gotta shake 'em!"

"_Leave that to me."_ Kitt immediately poured on the speed while accessing the city map at the same time.

"Don't you ever put your head out in a moving vehicle again," Devon said in a stern tone, knowing from the AI not to outright yell at the child, "It's dangerous!"

"I-I was just trying to see who was following us, uncle."

"Yes I know, but you didn't need to. Kitt can see behind him rather well, can't you?"

"_That's correct, Devon."_

"Besides, at this speed, you could have gotten hurt by something…or killed." He added in a quieter tone, "And I don't want you to die."

She nodded, downcast, "I'm sorry, Uncle Devon. I won't do it again."

He replied, "Good," then smiled kindly at her and ruffled her hair lightly.

Marissa blinked, confused by the gesture.

"_I found a route that will take us out of the way of these guys for now,"_ Kitt replied, _"And I recorded the image and license plate on the pursuers for later use."_

"What's the route?" Michael asked.

"_Three block from here there is a construction site. Currently the crews are not there, but the equipment is. We can Turbo Boost across and leave them behind. I don't like the idea of letting them go loose, though."_

"As much as I prefer stopping and investigating them, we do have a child on board," Devon replied.

"Trace 'em. That way we'll know who they're with. We'll see 'em again, buddy."

"_I certainly hope so. Here we go."_

The truck abandoned shooting at them and decided on backing up while revving.

"_Preparing for ramming? Oh, please,"_ Kitt said disparagingly.

"Michael, what's Turbo Boost? He never told me about that."

"You'll get to find out soon enough," was the reply from Bonnie.

Right then, Marissa saw the truck advance at high speed…and was surprised to feel next to nothing when they connected.

"That's some nice coating. Wish I could get painted in that stuff," she said.

"_It's not compatible with humans, sorry."_

"Darn."

Most of the people within the car were quiet as Michael drove down two blocks, with the truck trying to shoot again…this time, aiming for the tires.

"One-trick pony," Michael muttered, "and here's the construction site coming up."

Marissa peered ahead and her jaw dropped. In front of her was a construction site indeed, completely blocked off and for good reason. The asphalt was stripped away for at least two blocks in length, showing brown-red ground underneath. On both sides were equipment, including a bulldozer and a couple of trucks filled with materials for mixing asphalt together.

"How're we gonna get over that?" she asked as she saw the site growing closer, then felt her uncle wrap an arm around her waist to hold her in place.

"_This."_

She heard an odd sound, then felt herself and the others go upwards…and saw as they all went airborne.

"Whooooaaa!"

"The landing might hurt a bit," Devon said.

She looked puzzled for a second as she felt as if she were falling…and then all of a sudden she bounced up and down rather sharply. If Devon had not held her down, even with her seat belt on…

"Not really," she said, "But it was pretty fun! Are those guys following?"

"_No. And Michael, I've gotten the results of the trace. That vehicle is licensed to Douglas Parkson. One of the people inside it was him as well."_

"Did you say Parkson?" Devon asked, "That's the one that killed Verona and kidnapped Marissa."

"And hurt me a lot," she added.

"Devon, I hate to say it, but this night's not over with by a long shot. If Parkson's going after her this hot and heavy, we need to get that testing over and done with."

"You mean right now…?"

"Yeah!"

Marissa's eyes went through different expressions as the conversation took place. "You mean a DNA test, right…? So that everyone knows Devon's my uncle?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied, "It's painful, though. We weren't going to bring it up until we got back, though. You've been through enough these past two days."

"A dream…" she said quietly, "So this is what it means…"

"Come again?" Michael asked, "What about dreams?"

"Kitty knows about it, kinda, but sometimes I have dreams."

"Everyone does."

"No, Bonnie…I'm not talking about the usual kind," she answered, almost blurting, "Last month, I had a dream about meeting Kitt at the waterfall. In it, I was trying to kill myself. Some golden vines connected us together. The next day, I tried to take my own life. Kitt found and stopped me, and we've been together since then…except for yesterday afternoon, that is."

Devon's eyes widened and glimmered as he heard this. "Good lord, you really did try to…" he said in pain.

"_Yes, she did."_

"Last night, I dreamed about all four of you, and the same golden vines connected us to all of you. Don't you see?" she continued, "The dreams I have really happen later on!"

She heard a sharp intake of breath and turned red. "Sorry," she muttered.

"It's…it's just a surprise, that's all," Devon said, "What does that have to do with what you said?"

"I didn't even tell Kitt, but I had _two_ dreams last night, not one. One of them involved me with all of you, and a mean old shadow that was making me hurt and sick. In it, I turned around and faced it down, even though the shadow was yelling at me to go back with it. I used some kind of sharp object, an axe I think, and chopped the shadow away from me. It snapped and hurt me a bit before it vanished."

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"Because at first I thought it was a regular dream." She looked at the others and said, her voice becoming more certain, "Kitt told me how a DNA test is done. It's gonna hurt, but can we do it tonight? I want to get it done with, and fast."

"Well, we can get it done here, to be honest," Bonnie said, "Kitt has an analyzer built-in. In technical terms, the test is merely analyzing the DNA within a blood sample and matching it with two other people on file."

"_I've never tried using the analyzer that way before, but it's worth a shot. Devon, isn't Doctor Rayes from the Foundation in the city?"_

"Yes he is, and he has the equipment needed for the blood test. Kitt, contact him at once and tell him to meet us at the semi. I don't think he'll mind a late-night visit."

"_Right away, Devon."_

"In the meantime," Michael said, "Let's get to the hotel."

000000000000000

It was half an hour later when the group was assembled in the semi, where one of the tables was cleared. The doctor, a man with brown hair and twinkling eyes of the same color, looked to be in his early 30's as he prepared one of the syringes, as well as changed the straight needle for a butterfly that was attached to a thin, long tube.

Marissa and Devon were seated at the cleared desk, her left hand proffered upon it while her right was in her uncle's. Bonnie was helping the doctor by wrapping a small tourniquet carefully around it and finding the vein. Kitt's feeding her twice daily for a month had helped put some meat on her bones, but she was still rather thin, and the older woman worried about breaking any of them.

"I'll admit it," Rayes said, "I was surprised when you called for me for a DNA test, and moreso when I saw her. Devon, you'll have to get Verona's body in Ontario exhumed in order to get a sample to compare with."

"I'll get on it as soon as possible, Doctor."

"I told you before, call me Jason." He turned back to the child. "Pretty scrawny little thing, I say. Ok, Marissa, right?"

"Yes," she replied.

"I'm going to insert the needle in the back of your hand now…just stay still, and if it hurts, just squeeze Devon's hand."

"Okay."

He nodded and carefully stuck the needle in. The little girl whimpered slightly and squeezed her uncle's hand.

"Uncle Devon…are there any kids at this Foundation?" she asked.

"There are a few, yes," he replied, seeing that she was trying to shift her focus, "A lot of the people at the Foundation have families, and there are some that work in the headquarters that keep their children with them."

She simply nodded, then asked, "Do you…what was my mom like?"

He chuckled a little, answering, "She was rather headstrong, yet a kind woman. She tended to do things herself…but if someone had harmed her, she would keep it to herself to prevent it from troubling others. Michael would have liked her, I believe…" His tone saddened as he said, "The last time I saw her was when you were born."

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"It's-it's all right," he replied, "Your father was already dead, so I was in the delivery room with her." His eyes glimmered a bit as he continued, "I had…always meant to come to Toronto and visit you two, but my work, it…it always kept me busy."

Michael heard the tremor in his voice and said, "Devon, you don't need to talk—"

He smiled warmly to the younger man and replied, "It's all right…I need to. Jason knows…"

"If you say so."

He took a breath and continued, "I had finally managed to get time off to go visit both of you for a couple of weeks…" His gaze became distant as he said, "The day before my flight, in the evening, I had gotten a phone call from a neighbor…and he had told me that Verona was dead and you were missing…I had to go…identify the..." His voice broke and he lowered his head.

_Mark wasn't kidding when he said the murder-kidnapping left wounds,_ Michael thought and walked quickly to him, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, Devon."

"Yeah, Uncle Devon, I'm okay and right here. Kitt found me," Marissa added, squeezing his hand a little more for a second.

The older man pulled out a kerchief and dabbed around his eyes before he looked up, but the little girl could still see a pair of tear-streaks on his face.

"Okay…I'm putting on the gauze…now," Rayes said as he removed the needle and covered the spot quickly. "You did really well, Marissa. You're one brave little girl."

"Me…? Brave…?"

"Got that right," Michael said quietly, "Even after what you've gone through, a lot of pain, you decided on your own to get this blood test done."

The others agreed and she blushed.

"As far as using Kitt for this goes…I think that's a bad idea," the doctor continued, "Something like this can't really be rushed when it comes to the analysis. After the body gets exhumed, I would say that the results would be sent to you at Foundation headquarters in about 4 to 6 weeks."

Devon nodded, "I'll get the process for that started tomorrow. Thank you, Jason."

"No problem," was the reply as Bonnie applied a bandage over the puncture.

"_For now, though, I know a little girl that's up past her bedtime,"_ Kitt inserted.

"Huh? You are too, Kitty!"

Michael chuckled while Devon, whose voice had steadied, replied, "Yes, but the same little girl needs a real bath first. I've always found that a shower or bath just before bed helps you get to sleep faster."

"Um, what's the difference between washing in the river and a real bath…?"

"_The water is usually hotter."_

"Aw, I gotta…? Oh okay..."

Bonnie smiled, "I know just how to do it so that stepping in the water isn't as bad, kiddo." She had a feeling that while the usual sleeping arrangements would be done, (Each of the adults would have their own room) Marissa would be with her uncle. "If it's okay, Devon, I'll come over and take care of her first real bath."

"Thank you," he replied gratefully.

000000000000000

A couple of hours later, Devon was reading a book when the door to the bathroom opened, then closed.

"It's almost like washing in the river in the summer. I do feel a bit odd, though."

"It's ok, you'll get used to it with time. Didn't I tell you I knew how to fix the problem with temperature shock?"

"Yeah, you did. Hey, Bonnie…"

"What is it?"

"It's weird how girls need things like what you bought today just to take a bath…but boys use just a bar of soap."

"Yeah, well…boys have different ideas about baths and how to wash. Do you know how to use a hairbrush?"

"Uh-uh."

There was a quiet sigh before the two females came into the room and Bonnie said, "Well, you'll find out tomorrow morning…right, Devon?"

"Oh, most assuredly," he replied, "And I am rather careful when brushing hair, little one. I used to brush your mother's often when we were little."

"You sure…?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Okay…" her voice trailed off and she sighed.

"What's wrong…?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to Kitty before I go to bed," she replied, "It's gonna feel weird not to sleep in the backseat. It's real cozy!"

"Michael would definitely agree with you there," Bonnie laughed.

"It's a cold night…are you gonna cover him with a huge blanket…?"

Bonnie looked confused for a moment. "A huge blanket…you mean a tarp?"

"I guess so. It's a blanket for Kitt...so are you gonna cover him with one tonight? He likes that, you know."

That surprised her. "Kitt? Liking to be covered in a tarp?"

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. Devon quickly walked over to it and looked through the peephole before he let out a breath of relief then unlocked and opened it.

"Come on in, Michael," he said quietly.

Michael walked in and looked around. "Hi Bon," he said, then turned to the little girl. "Hey, Marissa, just who I was looking for."

"Looking for me? How come, Michael?"

"Someone I know wants to talk to you and wouldn't rest unless he did."

"Oh? Who?"

"_That would be me,"_ came a voice from Michael's comlink.

"Kitty!" she grinned.

"_Sounds like you wanted to talk before bed too, Rissie."_

"Yeah! I wish I was down there right now in the backseat."

"_I admit, after you having slept there for a month, it is disquieting for you not to be here."_

She chuckled and was about to say something when Bonnie cut in, "Michael, I just heard something really…surprising. She said that Kitt likes being covered with a tarp."

"You gotta be kidding!"

"_I do have some surprising news for you two, then: Marissa is right."_

Both of their jaws dropped.

"_Well, what do you expect? I don't like staying out in the open on cold nights anymore than you do. Humans have blankets to keep them warm. How am I any different with a warm tarp?"_

"It just goes to show you that even when you've worked with Kitt for a few years, there are always going to be a few surprises," Devon put in.

"_I can easily deduce why the subject came up about me and tarps. There is no need to worry, Rissie, I will be inside the semi tonight, which is always kept warm. I'm touched that you remembered and thought about it, though."_

"I'm glad, Kitty…" she said and tried to stop a yawn, but failed miserably.

"I know a little girl that needs some sleep," the Englishman said with a bemused smile, "And an AI that needs a full recharge."

"_You're right, Devon. Good night, Rissie."_

"Sweet dreams, Kitty."

"_Same to you."_

He then turned to Marissa and pulled down some sheets, gesturing for her to climb in. She looked confused for a moment, then nodded and scrambled into the bed. After he hugged the child, Devon tucked her in and said, "I need to talk to Michael for a little bit, then I'll get some sleep soon, all right?"

"Okay, Uncle Devon. Night night…" She mumbled something before she fell asleep.


	9. Deciding, Meeting

Well, things have been going rather well. I've been working on a new songfic that is not connected to the AU that "Marissa" takes place in, among other stuff. I have a feeling you might like this new chapter, and I certainly hope so.

Before I begin this chapter, there is something I would like to share with you guys. A long time ago, about 5 years ago, I had written and published a book called "World Key", which involved several things, such as an underground civilization, the modern world, a world of magic and the like 15,000 years or so in the past. It didn't sell well at all, but it did exist. Those few that have read it might see similarities in some of the characters or their names, such as Marissa, Verona and a few others. Well, those characters are mine, too. However, even though some of those characters in the book have the same name (somewhat), eventually, the events in my fanfics will cause the timeline to branch away into something completely different than "World Key". So, in essence, these fanfics will grow into their own AU, completely separate from the events of the novel.

_To the reviewers:_

_KnightSky: Glad you're liking it so far. And may I say that your "The Knight Recovers" story is turning out pretty good as well! Keep yours going, too!_

_Theravingloony: Yeah, like his old friend at the clothing store said, the incident left some deep emotional wounds in Devon. Thankfully, though, they're starting to close and heal. And as to the bit about writing emotion, well…I have a view about what I call the True Persona of a character, and write with that in mind. Seems to work well for me, I guess._

_On with the fic!_

_Chapter 9: Deciding, Meeting_

As Marissa fell asleep, Devon smiled softly at her for a moment before turning to Michael and motioning that they should talk in the younger man's room. He nodded and after letting the others know quietly, left with the older British man on his heels.

Once he had closed and locked the door, Michael said to him, "I take it Kitt and I are going to be out tonight."

"Guard duty is more like it," the Englishman replied, "Parkson will most likely try to go after us again…with the intent of either taking Marissa back or killing her."

"Over my dead body," Michael retorted, earning him an involuntary wince from Devon.

"I hate that slang," the older man murmured, thinking that it would be spoken too low to be heard.

"Okay, the wording was bad, but you get my drift," was the reply, "He's not going to get his hooks into her again."

"That's something I want to talk to you about," Devon replied quietly, "Once it's confirmed whether or not she is my niece, she may have to go back there one last time."

"To help put him away, I hope. Otherwise, Kitt might very well vanish with her. For the lack of a better word, he loves that girl."

"So do I." He added, "Kitt's truly changed…evolved to the point where he actually does have emotions, and he has the capacity to lie at will. I've taken care of the second capacity with an oath, but…" Devon sighed as he said, "I don't know if Wilton was aware of just what we've brought into the world when Kitt was created. I know I wasn't at the time."

Michael nodded, then remarked, "There's been one thing I've been thinking about ever since I got partnered with him."

"Oh? What's that?"

"The difference between simple machines, like basic AI…and living beings, like humans. I've heard someone say that the difference is this: machines are activated, living beings are born. Sometimes, I wind up thinking that, well…maybe a day will come when—"

Devon nodded, saying, "When an AI like Kitt will be born, and not simply activated. If he hadn't changed like he has, I wouldn't have even considered that as a viable possibility. Now, though…the line is becoming more indistinct."

Michael made a faint, affirmative sound before asking, "After we put this jackal away, what's going to happen…?"

"I assume you mean Marissa."

"Yeah. Bonnie assumes that you'll probably go for custody of her."

Devon shook his head, "No."

That made the younger man raise an eyebrow, "Come again…? You're not going to file for custody of her…? Devon, this is your niece we're talking about. I don't know if she has any living family left besides you."

The Englishman shot him a frosty glare for a second that silenced the younger man, then he said, "Don't assume, Michael." He sighed then said softly, "I made the decision earlier…I'm not going to simply file for custody…I'm going to adopt her."

The surprise was rather evident on Michael's face. "Is it possible to adopt your own niece?"

"Yes, it's been done before."

"I'm not going to presume you haven't thought this through, but…that means she'll live at the Foundation headquarters, with us."

He nodded, "Michael, she's spent seven years of her life away from her true family and in as hostile as conditions can get for a child. Call it selfish, but I want her near me. I wouldn't be the first Foundation member to be raising a child in the headquarters."

"Yeah…" The younger man then pressed a button on his comlink, saying, "Hey buddy, got a question…how would you feel if after this is all over, Marissa lives with us?"

"_I'd be ecstatic,"_ Kitt replied, _"If she were to live elsewhere, __it would be as unpleasant as losing you, __Michael."_

"And that's saying a lot right there," Devon said quietly.

"_Call it selfish, but I want her near me, and I think Devon does, too."_

That caused both to raise eyebrows, then shake their heads in bemusement.

"What is that phrase…great minds think alike?"

"Definitely. Kitt, we're on guard duty tonight. Parkson might try at her again."

"_That is not an option,"_ was the reply, _"Going into surveillance mode now. I'll alert you if I detect anything."_

"Thanks, buddy." He turned to Devon and asked him, "When are you going to ask her? About adoption?"

"In a few days, possibly after Parkson is taken care of. She's dealing with a lot right now. In the space of a month, her life has gone through tremendous changes...as has mine."

Michael nodded, "Fair enough. Night, Devon."

The older man squeezed his shoulder affectionately, smiling, then left for their room.

000000000000000

In the city, Parkson drove until he was able to find a pay phone. Once he did, he punched in a series of numbers, pausing at times.

After a few moments, he said, "This is Doug Parkson. I need to talk to Cortez."

A couple of minutes later, the distinct voice of a male Mexican replied, _"Que pasa, Parkson?"_

"You're not gonna believe this, but that little brat, Marissa Miles, is loose."

"_Que! She was supposed to be at the breaking point, according to your last report, so that she would take her own life. What happened?"_

"She made contact with someone on the outside is my guess. Little brat took off in a black car last night. Crazy thing was, the thing had no driver! We spotted it and her afterwards and tried to finish her, but that car's about like Superman!"

"_I've heard about a car like that somewhere…now listen, Parkson. Let them go for now, just until we confirm all the variables of the situation. Once we find out just who we're dealing with, I'll contact you. When I do, go in and eliminate them. All of them."_

"Yes, sir," he growled and hung up.

000000000000000

Surprisingly (to Devon), there were no further incidents through the night. The next morning, he started the process for having his sister's body exhumed and tested while the semi began its travel towards the Foundation headquarters in Los Angeles.

As they traveled, Devon would watch silently as Kitt would continue teaching Marissa. At other times, she would wander about and ask questions about different things, such as the computers, or if some of them were just like her "Kitty". At other times, she would ask her uncle some more things about her mother.

"I have to admit, it's a bit overwhelming at times for her to be asking so many questions," he had said to Michael once.

"Aren't kids her age always curious?"

"Yes, but it seems as though once she got away from Parkson, she decided to ask about anything and everything."

"Well, if the DNA proves she's your niece, she's got 7 years of catching-up to do. She's one bright kid, that's for sure."

"Hmm, yes…" The Englishman would then trail off into his own thoughts.

000000000000000

When the semi finally arrived at the Knight mansion, the young girl was rather anxious, even if she tried not to let on. When she finally got her first look at it, her hazel eyes went wide.

"Wow…it's even bigger than M—Parkson's shack and the Wall-less House," she said quietly, "and everyone lives here?"

"That's right," Devon replied, "Quite vast, isn't it?"

"It sure is! It's really pretty, uncle."

"Thank you," he answered, smiling. "How about I give you a tour in a little while, Rissie?"

"I'd like that, thanks."

Before he could reply, another voice cut in…one that he had not heard in slightly over a month.

"Hola, jefe. How was your trip to Helena?"

The two of them turned and saw a pair of people approaching. One of them, a man, looked to be close to middle age. He was at average height, too, with the skin and black hair color that typically marked him as a man from Mexico. He wore a regular outfit that seemed to be more for gardening (a white shirt and blue jeans), maybe for the regular working-class, than for anything else.

Beside him was a young woman that looked remarkably like the man, wearing a white blouse and blue jeans, with brown shoes. She didn't have her full-growth on her yet, although already she was starting to develop into a young woman. Already, she was almost as tall as Devon. She narrowed her brown eyes at first the Englishman and Michael, then at the little girl that was with them. She shook her head, shoulder-length black hair moving with her head.

"Now this is a new face," she said, "She family of yours, Devon?"

"Laura!" The man retorted, "Address him as Senor Miles, comprendes?"

The girl looked a little abashed, although bored, when she replied, "Si, padre."

"I told you before, Rodrigo, I don't mind if she calls me by first name," Devon replied.

"As you say, jefe, but she needs to learn manners," he mumbled quietly.

"Umm, uncle, who are they?" Marissa asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Rodrigo Mariz and his daughter, Laura. Actually, it's Laurine, but she prefers Laura. Rodrigo, this is my niece, Marissa."

"Ah. So you're the reason why Devon's apartments have been changed around. Nice to meet you, Marissa," the apparently-older girl replied coolly, extending a hand.

Marissa would have been puzzled by the action, except for the fact that Bonnie had been practicing handshaking and introducing with her on the trip. Now, she shook Laura's hand. "Nice to meet you too," she replied.

"A cute kid," Laura remarked, "Oh that's right. Cathy said to tell you that you've got some stuff in your office." That was directed at Devon. "Mind if we chat for a while?"

The Englishman replied, "An excellent idea, and thank you. Rissie, I'll be by in a few hours for that tour, all right?"

"Ok, uncle."

As soon as the adults were headed off in different directions, Marissa asked her, "How come you call me a kid?"

"Well, you are, aren't you? Just how old are you?"

"I turned nine a few days ago. How old are you?"

"Me? I'm fourteen. Nine, huh…? I don't know why, but you don't act like a typical kid your age."

"Um, I don't?"

"Not one bit! I dunno why, either." Laura peered at her again, then asked, "Whoa, hold the phone…I think I remember dad and Devon saying something about a niece. Who's your mom?"

"Um, Verona…I think. I dunno, she died seven years ago. How come?"

At this, the older girl winced. "Oh, that explains it…dad mentioned that Devon had some past trauma involving the murder of his sister and his niece's kidnapping. I didn't know that was you. Well, that explains why you don't act much like a kid."

"Trauma?"

"Yeah…you probably heard similar words, like…leaving wounds."

"Oh! Yeah, I heard that on the way here."

Laura looked at her closely, then asked, "You know how to defend yourself, kid?"

"Um…Kitt's been teaching me some."

The older girl shook her head, replying, "I know him. Kitt's a good teacher, but there are some stuff that you can't really learn and use without practice. Tell you what, Marissa. How about every day I'll help with that training by you being my practicing partner?"

"Um, you think that your father and Uncle Devon won't get mad?"

"Not if they know that it's not fighting, but helping to teach."

"Well okay, if they know what's going on."

Laura then narrowed her eyes, peering. "That dress is no good for practicing. You got anything better, like a jumpsuit?"

"Um, jumpsuit? What's a jumpsuit?"

She shook her head, sighed, then replied, "You'll know it when you see it. Hmm, I think I have a pair I outgrew in my room. You can use it until you get your own. C'mon."

"Oh, okay!"

000000000000000

Devon sighed as he waded through the paperwork that was on his desk. At times, it was simply amazing how much backed up when you were gone for a month. It was enough to wish that he could trade places with Michael. All _he_ had to do was to drive about in Kitt, complete missions…contend with the ladies and kids…wanton mayhem…maybe get shot at…

_Well, perhaps almost enough to wish it. But I certainly don't enjoy the back paperwork._

He heard a frantic knock at the door, quickly bringing him out of his musings.

He walked over and opened it, and saw Cathy standing before him, looking flustered.

"Cathy, what ever is the matter?"

"M-mister Miles, Laura Mariz got into a fight! When I saw her, she was still in it in the courtyard and goading—"

"In a fight? With who?" he asked, wondering what this had to do with him directly.

"A little girl, the one you came back with, but she was wearing an old jumpsuit!"

_That_ got his attention.

"Oh my—" he cut off what he had been about to say, then told her, "Let's go."

000000000000000

"Ok, let's try it again, just like last time. I'll come at you and you pretend that I'm a grown man. You do just as I said." Laura then moved back into position, taking on a rather menacing expression. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then here I come!" she replied and strode over to the little girl, acting as though she meant serious harm.

Marissa stood, looking a little uncertain. The way the older girl was moving was too reminiscent of Parkson. She didn't know if it was on purpose or not.

A minute later, Laura growled and grabbed her arm while moving the other arm into a position to strike a blow.

The younger child frowned, then stomped on the other girl's foot as hard as she could.

"No, no…I told you, if you were stronger it'd work. But until you are, you use the other method. You remember where that is, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Ok. Let's try it again." Laura then moved back after letting go of Marissa, then moved into position. A moment later, she charged at the little girl again, grabbing an arm and hauling back with the other.

This time, instead of stomping on the foot, Marissa quickly reared her hand into a fist and punched Laura, aiming for her privates.

The instant the blow connected, the older girl let go, wincing.

"Not bad," she said through the winces, "Now—"

"Laura!" a Mexican voice called out, worried but also perturbed.

"Rissie!" a British voice rang out, mirroring in emotion.

Both turned and saw Rodrigo and Devon running towards them.

"Uh-oh," Marissa murmured as Laura's father grabbed his daughter, looking very angry, while Devon moved in front of his niece protectively.

"Just what in blazes do you think you're doing, young lady, picking a fight on a little child!"

"And don't deny it, Laura, Devon and I heard from two of the Foundation staff!"

"Devon, it's not what you think it is," Laura replied, trying to calmly explain.

"Not what I think it is…! Cathy saw you two fighting, and reported that you were goading Marissa more than once—"

"Um, uncle…"

"Just a moment, Rissie," Devon replied.

"Really, it's not what you think."

"What could it be if you're not picking a fight with a little girl?" Rodrigo asked coldly.

"Laura was just—"

"I know full well what she was doing," Devon put in.

There was a sigh, a familiar one, coming from one section of the courtyard, followed by the statement, "I told you two you should have told Devon first."

All eyes turned to the source of the reproachful tone.

"Just what do you mean, Michael?" Rodrigo asked.

"Well, these two were just practicing. I told them that if they were gonna do that, they should have told you first, just so that this confusion wouldn't happen. Laura insisted otherwise."

"What were you practicing?" Devon asked.

Marissa looked a bit abashed as she said, "Self-defense, Uncle Devon. She offered to help me practice self-defense."

Both adults had mixed expressions at this, ashamed as well as perturbed.

"We tried to tell you," Laura and Marissa both put in.

Rodrigo shot a glare at the older girl while Devon looked a bit abashed while trying to calm down at the younger one.

"As I was going to say, Marissa," Laurine continued as if nothing happened, "Once you get loose, if Michael, Devon or the others aren't far, you hurry to them and tell what happened. Got it?"

"Yep!"

"We're going to have quite a talk about this, Laurine," the Mexican male stated, "Now come inside!"

"Thanks, Laura," Marissa called out and waved, "Maybe you can teach me some more tomorrow!"

Devon shot her a look that she understood quickly: _Silence._

Michael couldn't help but snicker and say, "You just got your first taste of raising a kid."

Both eyebrows raised and the younger man didn't try to comment on the expression on Devon's face: _What did I get myself into?_ He knew full well that the older man would go through with it anyway. He wasn't the kind to back down from a challenge.

"While Laura's intentions were well-meant," the Englishman replied after he schooled his expression, "I want someone else to be teaching Rissie self-defense."

"Like who?"

"Like you, Michael."

"Consider it done," he replied, "And she's gonna need a better jumpsuit. Where'd you get that old thing?"

"Laura said she outgrew it and that it'd do until I can get my own."

"Good advice," Devon put in, "I'll see about getting a pair or two made. My dear, it's almost lunchtime. How about you go get changed, hm?"

"Okay!" she replied, waved, then took off.

Michael looked at Devon then said, "You still gonna adopt her?"

"You know the answer to that, my dear boy. She is family. Besides…"

"Even knowing what's in store for ya now, you love her anyway."

The older man harrumphed at that.


	10. Revelations

_Chapter 10: Revelations_

_Author's note: Some of the conversation between Parkson and Cortez is in Spanish. I know not many know the language, so…if you find some text in parenthesis, it's the translation. And in future stories, the Mexican's name and group will be further elaborated on._

Early one morning, just before dawn, Devon awoke, a little earlier than usual. As per usual, he had gotten dressed and had put on a pot of tea. What wasn't quite as usual was that after the water was being heated, he went into an area that, before the trip to Helena, was a spare room.

The room had been gradually changed into a bedroom for Marissa. Against one wall was a dresser, which already happened to be low enough that the young girl could reach the drawers. To the right of it was a full-length mirror that had been put in during the trip back from Montana in the semi. Close to the window was a bed. Originally, it had been full-sized, but during the semi trip, the mattresses, springs and frame had been switched out for child-sized versions. Next to the bed was a nightstand, complete with a lamp that gave off good light.

Against one of the rear walls was a bookshelf, which had been there originally. What was different about it, though, was that the books had been moved to Devon's own room. In time, Marissa would have some of her own to put on the shelf.

"Good morning, my de—" Devon started to say when he noticed something.

The bed was empty.

Frowning, he quickly felt the mattress and the pillows. They were still rather warm, meaning that she had been out of bed only a few minutes.

He sighed and glanced out of the window, which gave a nice view of one of the gardens…and his breath caught on what he saw.

Marissa was standing outside, facing the direction where the sun would be rising.

"Rissie…?" he asked himself quietly and hurried out of the apartments, heading for where she was.

When he arrived, he could see that the young girl was still in her nightgown and still for a moment, her head tilted to the side as if she were listening for something.

Feeling alarmed as well as irritated, Devon was about to call out to her when the first rays of the sun appeared. When they did, she began to nod and move.

The older man watched quietly, wondering just what was going on. After all, it seemed as she was hearing something. He had no idea what it was, because…

_I don't hear anything,_ he thought, then saw as her movements changed as though she were stepping to a certain beat.

_Dancing…dancing to unheard music at sunrise,_ he realized.

Right at that moment, something flashed into existence in the corner of his mind, a type of memory. He was aware of it being there, yet he couldn't bring it to the forefront.

_Something seems familiar here, but I just can't remember what it is._

A moment later, the semi-memory faded back into nothingness.

After a long few moments, Marissa's movements slowed, then stopped. By then, Devon realized that the sun had fully risen.

She turned to go back inside, then when she saw her uncle, she gasped, startled.

"Umm…umm," she said, trying to think of a way to explain herself.

"Just how often have you been doing this?" he asked her.

"Since the morning after we got here, almost 4 weeks ago," she replied, "I don't know why, but I can really hear music coming from the air itself. When I move like that, it just…well, I feel better afterwards. Some of the aches from punishments are almost all gone now, and I actually feel a bit stronger." She peered at him and asked, "You mean you can't hear it?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't. I know your mother said something about it when she was younger. But Rissie," he said, voice becoming firmer, "Don't worry me like that. I didn't know you came out here this early, but if I had, I wouldn't have thought that something had happened to you."

She winced and looked a bit downcast. "I'm sorry, uncle."

He smiled a little and ruffled her hair, saying, "Well, no harm done…this time. Plus, now I know something more than I did when I got up this morning. Now, let's head back, then after you get changed we can have breakfast, all right?"

"Okay."

000000000000000

A couple of hours later, Michael headed from his apartment to the main dining area. While everyone was waiting for first news about the body being exhumed for DNA testing (and then later the results), Devon had assigned Michael to handle a few cases. After all, just because an ongoing case had new information didn't mean that the other assignments could back up. Every time that Michael had returned, Marissa would head over to either the garage or other places, just to catch up on things with Kitt.

Also, during the times that Michael was at the mansion, he helped with teaching the little girl self-defense, having agreed with Devon that it would be better for someone as trained as he was to instruct her than it would be for a fourteen year old girl that was still learning karate to do it.

Now, he looked around the dining hall and saw that the ones he was looking for were using one of the outdoor tables. He smiled and walked outside.

One of the table occupants, Devon, looked up from his meal and smiled warmly. "Good morning, Michael."

"Yo, Devon," was the reply before Michael turned to the other occupant and grinned. "Hey, Marissa."

"Hi, Michael," she replied, "You hungry?"

The younger man looked at first the Englishman's breakfast, then the little girl's before replying, "Yeah, think I'll get something—" His eyes widened as he saw that she was eating pancakes with syrup, scrambled eggs and sausage.

"And you say I eat greasy stuff?"

Devon shook his head, "Ah, but these aren't regular sausages. They're made from soy. Doctor Alpert that she needs nourishment and to put on weight."

"They're pretty good, too!"

Michael chuckled, "Lucky you," then tapped her on the nose lightly.

"Hey, what time did you get in? Don't think I saw you or Kitty."

"Late last night. Got finished with the latest case. That band of weapons merchants is going to be spending the rest of their lives behind bars."

Devon thought for a moment of telling him to wait on the report until later, but only for a moment. By choice, he didn't keep many secrets from his niece, but there were a few times, like things involving confidential or classified information, where he would take the conversation elsewhere.

"Good. No extraordinary mishaps, I take it?"

"A couple, but nothing serious." He paused a moment before asking, "Any word from Doctor Rayes?"

Devon shook his head, "The body was exhumed a few days after we got back, as you know. I'm told that the results should be in later today."

"Good," was the reply, "The sooner we can find out, the sooner we can move against that jackal…and the sooner you two can get on with a new life."

The older man nodded, then looked at Marissa. "My dear…there's something that I want to ask you when the—"

Cathy quickly walked in, breathing a bit heavily while she gripped a piece of paper.

"You okay?" the little girl asked, "You don't look too good."

"I'm…I'm fine…Marissa. Doctor Rayes just…called. The results are in."

Michael walked over and said something quietly to the secretary, who nodded and handed him the paper while she sat down at another table.

"What does it say?" Devon asked as the younger man read it.

"Yeah, Michael!"

He read and re-read it, then said first to Devon, "Positive," then to the girl, "It's official. Your mother is Verona Medine Miles, deceased."

The young child grinned and looked over to her uncle, who whispered a grateful prayer then squeezed her hand.

"Can I tell him?" she asked.

Devon nodded, "I don't see why not."

Michael chuckled and touched a button on his comlink. "Hey buddy, got some news."

"_Have the DNA results come in?"_

"That they have, and they're positive."

"_That's wonderful news! Now we can finally take steps on both matters."_

"Um, both matters? What's the second one?" Marissa asked.

Devon replied, "Rissie, after we see to putting Parkson away, how would you like to live here?"

She blinked and asked, "You mean…for good? With you, Kitty, Michael and Bonnie?"

"That's precisely what I mean, my dear."

"Would I!" she exclaimed, which got light chuckles from the others.

"I'd say that's a yes," Michael stated.

"How're you gonna do that? Bonnie said something about custody…"

"I'm not planning on merely attaining custody of you," the Englishman replied, "But to ask you something else."

"Like what?"

He took a deep mental breath and asked, "Rissie…what would you say if I told you that I want to adopt you?"

She peered at him for a long moment before replying, "This: I'd love to!"

Devon smiled warmly and reached over to hug her, which she returned with a grin.

Michael shook his head, bemused, then said, "Instead of raising a niece, you'll be raising a daughter."

"Something I don't mind at all."

"_Now this calls for celebration…once Parkson is behind bars, that is,"_ Kitt put in over the comlink.

There was the sound of footsteps behind the group. Marissa turned and waved with a smile. "Hi, Bonnie!"

The technician grinned and waved back, "You're looking healthier every time that I see you. I heard the good news. You bringing up the subject of adoption means that Marissa's relation has been confirmed?"

"Exactly," Devon replied.

"Then I have some news that'll make the day even better. Marissa, would you push up your left sleeve, please?"

"S-sure!" she replied and carefully did as she was asked until her wrist was bare.

Bonnie then came over to the table, sat in a chair and fitted a familiar, black object around her wrist, then buckled it into place.

Michael peeked, surprised when he saw just what the technician had put on.

"That's a comlink," he said, "Whose idea was that?"

"Kitt's. He asked me to make one, primarily so that he can better communicate with and keep tabs on her. Remember what I said, though, Marissa; it's not a toy."

"I'll remember that," she said, then peered at it closely before she touched one of the buttons. "Test, 1, 2, 3…Kitty, can you hear me?"

"_Loud and clear, Rissie…"_ There was a pause before he added, _"You finished the comlink, Bonnie! Thank you."_

"No problem, Kitt."

"I'd better get going…I know someone that's needing a full wash and a wax…right, _Kitty_?"

Four sets of eyes had identical piercing glares aimed right at Michael…and he had a feeling that if Kitt had eyes in the conventional sense, it'd be five.

"_That's…an inside joke **only** between Marissa and I, thank you."_

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry, alright? Forgiven?"

"_I suppose so. After all, to err is human."_

"Don't push it," was the reply while the sound of the front scanner swished in a way that seemed like laughter to Marissa.

000000000000000

Far away, a public phone rang, startling everyone that had been near it…except for one.

Doug Parkson had been expecting it ever since that morning, when one of the local contacts had said, "Go to the pay phone contact point at 11 AM. _Jefe_ will call you then."

Now, he walked smoothly into the booth, closed the door, and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"_Buenos dias,"_ the Mexican voice from before answered.

"Morning to you too, boss. Did something come up?"

"_Si. One of the informants saw her and passed on some pertinent information."_

"What was said, if I may ask, sir?"

"_She's currently at someplace called the Foundation for Law and Government headquarters, for one thing…and for another, the Executive Director is her uncle, Devon Miles. This is one big mess you've gotten us all into, Parkson."_

"_Lo siento, lo siento! (I'm sorry, I'm sorry!)"_ he quickly said.

"_These are your orders: Since this is your fault, you will go to Los Angeles by air as soon as you hang up. When you arrive, meet with the local outfitter and eliminate the little senorita and her tio. Quietly. If you happen to find the black car, take it out, too."_

"With pleasure, boss," he grunted.

"_Ese es todo, (That is all,)"_ the man on the other end snapped, then cut the connection.


	11. Trouble in the City

_To the reviewers:_

_Knightsky: LOL, I know exactly what you mean. I bet he'd be thinking about then "If I can put up and deal with Michael's shenanigans, raising a child isn't as bad." It'll be a lot of fun anyway!_

_Chapter 11: Trouble in the City_

Devon looked at the clock in his office, wanting to keep a track of the time, moreso than usual. Later that day, he and Marissa would go see Dr. Alpert, who had insisted on weekly check-ups until he was satisfied that the little girl was as close to normal, physically, as she could be. After then, he had decided that they would be going into the city for a trip into the park, just the two of them (escort not counted). After all, another thing she needed was plenty of fresh air and sunshine…and a bit of a break from reading.

He shook his head, bemused by the thought. The young girl would get her hands on books, any book, and read in her room for hours on end. While he didn't mind her seemingly insatiable curiosity, even he knew that too much reading and little else wasn't precisely a good thing.

Michael and Kitt would also be in the city for a little while before heading for the beach for some much-deserved time off…and with Marissa wearing a comlink, he knew that the AI would be watching over her.

At the moment, though, if he remembered correctly, the young man was in the courtyard instructing her.

Devon looked at the clock, closed his pen, then stood. He would go ahead and watch a bit of the lesson, then have her get ready for the doctor's.

000000000000000

Michael said quietly, "All right, I want to see how you've been doing since you've been doing those muscle-strengthening exercises. Remember back to when Laura was trying to teach you the first day you got here?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I'm going to come at you, like she did. Act like I'm Parkson and respond accordingly, all right?"

"Okay."

Michael then stepped back a few paces and moved into a menacing position. "Ready? Don't connect on some of your reactions, but make it as real as possible."

"Yep."

Without saying anything, he quickly advanced towards her rather menacingly. Within a few steps, he had grabbed her arm with one hand and was rearing back to hit her with the other.

Unknown to them, Devon was watching from near the door.

The little girl moved almost instinctively, using one foot to stomp on Michael's. She then quickly punched him in the privates.

Michael winced, let go of her, and gave such a glare that she knew wasn't feigned.

"That's some arm you've gotten," he managed to say, "But I told you _not_ to connect!"

"_Yes, but I believe you also told Rissie to make it as realistic as possible. In this case, that would take priority over not connecting in simulation."_ Kitt's voice came across as truly bemused, as well as admonishing.

"Just whose side are you on anyway?" he snapped into his comlink.

A quiet laugh filled the air before the AI could reply, causing the other two humans to turn towards the source: Devon.

Both student and teacher had embarrassed looks on their faces.

"From the looks of things, I'd say that Michael's doing a fine job of teaching, and Marissa of learning."

"Yeah…maybe learning too well if you ask me," Michael grunted.

"Now, now, Michael…I always thought it was a compliment to the teacher when the pupil learns at such a rate," Devon replied, tone reproachful as well as bemused.

"Uncle Devon, is it time already?" Marissa asked.

The older man blinked and checked the watch. "Yes, it is. Hurry and get changed, then we'll go to the doctor's," he replied.

"Okay. Thanks, Michael!" she waved and then hurried off.

After she had taken off, the Englishman asked, "Will you be all right?"

"Y-yeah…it'll pass in a little bit. But seriously, she's getting an arm to her. Devon, have you thought about whether she's going to be in public or private school…?"

The older man shook his head and answered, "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Michael. First, Parkson must be arrested, then I must approach the courts about the adoption process. Most likely, though…home study might be the best for a while."

"Yeah. Before the vacation, the only people she had ever seen was Parkson and a few pals of his."

"Agreed. I don't want her to be hit by culture shock by going to public school if we can help it."

"This entire ordeal would count as culture shock…I'd say her bond with Kitt is the only thing that's kept her alive, much less sane until he slipped up by calling her his child."

Devon nodded, eyes a bit distant, yet admiring. "Jason's right…that is one brave little girl."

"If so, she got it from Kitt mostly…though I think at least some of it wasn't beaten out of her. Thank goodness for that."

There was a quiet nod from the older man, and Michael suddenly shuddered, which caught Devon's eye.

"Are you all right?"

"I think so…happens every time I get a bad feeling about something, and I definitely do about you guys going. You sure you don't want Kitt and I to take you guys to the doc's and the park?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. Besides, you two need the time off, you've done rather well ever since we got back from Montana." He looked about, then said quietly, "We might go by there later. I heard Kitt mentioning something about lunch and Rissie swimming."

"That's right, she taught herself in a way in the river. He mentioned that, once he finally started telling me the truth about what they really did." Michael chuckled, "He didn't lie when he said he had a great time, I know that much."

"Why would Kitty lie…?" they heard a little voice behind them.

Marissa, who looked at the two grown-ups with a slight pout, had changed into a green blouse and brown slacks, and her hair, which had been improving in condition along with the rest of her, was brushed.

"Lookin' good, kid!"

"Thanks, Michael. I'm ready to go."

"Then let's get going to Dr. Alpert's, my dear," Devon replied, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, uncle. Bye-bye, Kitt and Michael!"

"_Be careful!"_

"See ya later, little alligator," the younger man replied and tapped her lightly on her nose.

000000000000000

"You've got the plan down, right?"

"Yep. We wait for a call, then make the switch at the designated spot. Afterwards, you take them outside of the city and carry out your orders from Cortez."

"Right. Good thing for that mole you've got in the building. What's the name, Mariz…?"

"No, wrong guy. It's someone that works with Doc Alpert, Miles' personal doctor and the kid's now too. That's how we got all the info. Now…let's take care of my own mess."

000000000000000

As the limo pulled up to the doctor's office, Marissa frowned. The moment she saw the place, she felt something…odd. Almost like a…sound inside her?

"Rissie…? Are you all right?"

She looked over to Devon and replied, "Just nervous, uncle."

He smiled and said, "Just don't get Michael's phobia for the medical profession and you'll be fine."

She shrugged and heard the doors open, then got out after Devon did.

Once the two of them went inside, Marissa saw a familiar face at the desk.

A young woman in her thirties with brown hair that was always neatly stacked on her head looked up and saw the two arrivals. She hid a little grin and asked professionally, "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes, Angela. We're here to see Dr. Alpert."

"Your names, please?"

"Devon and Marissa Miles."

She nodded, "If you'll take seats, Mr. And Miss Miles, the doctor will be in shortly."

The older man nodded and gestured towards the seats. She simply nodded and sat down at a chair in the left corner, while Devon sat beside her.

"It's funny…"

"What is?"

"Well, I've been hearing myself called this for four weeks, and it's still weird to be addressed as Marissa Miles…and not l—as some nasty names."

"I won't lie, my dear, it will take getting used to…but eventually, you will."

"Yeah…something tells me that. But…something feels sick inside me."

His brows drew together in concern. "Sick? How?"

"I…I don't know." She huddled in on herself, "I overheard Bonnie and RC talking yesterday after the results came in…talking about me."

"You did?"

"Yeah…they used another word to mention what was done to me the same day that Kitt and I left."

He looked worried at that. There were some things that some children were better off knowing, yet…

And Devon still wanted to kill the man.

"What did they say…?"

"Uncle…remember I said that he hurt me inside and out…? Marked me as his slave…?"

"Rissi—Marissa…you know now he didn't mark you in any such way, right…?"

She nodded and spoke in a trembling voice. "Uncle…then it's true…? That I was raped…? That's why I feel sick inside…?"

He nodded, whispered, "Come here…"

She did, her eyes glittering.

He picked his niece up and hugged her tightly.

"He'll pay for it," he whispered, "For what he did to you and your mother."

"Am I gonna ever stop feeling sick on the inside…?"

He paused before answering, "I hope so, my dear…" and thought, _I hope to God you do someday._

"Is she okay, Devon…?"

He looked up and saw Doctor Alpert standing near the corridor leading back into his office, gazing at them with a concerned expression.

"I think so, doctor," he replied, then mouthed, _The shock about the rape wore off._

The man nodded, understanding, and said, "I'm ready to see you two now."

000000000000000

Angela waited until the three of them were well down the corridor before she picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"It's me," she said, "Those two got in and just went to talk to the doctor."

She paused for a long moment, nodding and making affirmative noises. "One other thing…the kid, I think she realizes what happened to her almost five weeks ago."

Another long pause ensured.

"Yes. I'll be ready."

000000000000000

Some time later, the doors to the doctor's office opened. Devon and Marissa were talking as they slowly walked towards the limo.

"…Alpert thinks that at this rate, you should be at your normal weight in half a year."

She nodded, looking distant.

"…are you all right? Rissie…?"

"Huh? Y-yeah…sorry I broke down like that in the waiting room."

He shook his head, "Don't be. I admit, I wouldn't have picked the place, but often…when someone is in shock, like you have been, I know that you can't choose when it wears off." He paused before he added, "You handled it better than I know some would have."

"Really…?" she asked, and as she did, the feeling from earlier…not the sick one, but the sense of sound inside her was growing…and this time, she could understand it.

As they neared the limo, she moved as though she was rubbing her wrist.

"What's wrong…is your wrist hurting?"

"Huh? No…it was just a little twinge, from an old pun—an old beating. It's gone now."

Devon nodded. He saw that she was trying her hardest to break old habits, such as calling Parkson "master", or terming the beatings as "punishments". In a way, he admired her for it, just as he saw that she was trying to recover from the blow when the shock wore off.

"How about we do a little bit of shopping, then go over and see Michael and Kitt?"

She looked up, surprised. "Go see them…? But aren't they going to the beach, whatever that is…? And what's the ocean?"

"I'll tell you on the way over…"

000000000000000

En route to the beach, Michael and Kitt were picking up a signal from the only other comlink in existence. From what the AI had determined, it was currently set to transmit only, and not receive.

They heard two little slams, meaning that the doors had been closed, then Devon's voice say, _"Marcus, remember the children's store that you mentioned earlier? Oceanic Children? Take us there."_

Marissa's voice came through, loud and clear, as she asked, _"Um…doesn't he usually reply back to us?"_

"_Well, even limo drivers can have a lot on their minds. Marcus, for example, has an upcoming wedding coming up."_

"_Oh okay. Um, Uncle Devon, what's the ocean…?"_

"_Hmm…it's a lot bigger than the river you're used to…people swim in it often, but stay close to the shore. It's quite a sight to see."_

There was the sound of a window rolling down and a slight hiss.

"_U-uncle, there's a problem with the door!"_

Devon replied, but not addressed to his niece, _"Marcus, what is the meaning of this!"_

There was the sound of a child coughing, "Uncle….thaaaashhh naaahhh…"

There was another groan, this one from Devon, before there was silence for a long moment.

"Kitt, get a lock on that limo!"

"_I'm trying now, Michael."_

A moment later, there were new voices, coherent and audible from obvious gas masks…and one definitely was not the chauffeur.

"_Hah, it went just like clockwork. How're they sleeping?"_ a voice with a Texan drawl asked.

"_Like babies," _was the answer from someone that sounded like…no, it couldn't be. Angela? From Alpert's office!

"_Great. Let's get them to the abandoned building before the gas wears off. Parkson's waiting for these two."_

"_That gas is potent. I should know, I secured it. They'll be asleep for three hours, at least…unless the ride gets rocky. I know the orders said it would be quiet, but does he have any official story…?"_

"Yeah, and we'll find out what it is. I'll wager a hundred that it'll be an accident, with the driver asleep at the wheel."

000000000000000

Michael swore, while Kitt's scanner swished back and forth in a manner that suggested anger.

The Trans-am immediately slammed on the brakes and executed a U-Turn.

"Pal, contact Bonnie at the Foundation," he ordered.

"_Right away, Michael."_

After a long moment, they heard the brunette's voice, _"Michael, I'm in the middle of a conversation with Rodrigo Mariz—"_

"Bonnie, I need you, RC and anyone else you can get, on the double. We've got an emergency."

"_An emergency? What happened?"_

"Douglas Parkson's in town…and he just had Devon and Marissa kidnapped."


	12. Confrontation

_Chapter 12: Confrontation_

Michael and Kitt watched as the semi pulled into view, across from the park where Devon and Marissa would have gone to, if they had not been in the situation they now were in. The instant that the message had gone out, along with the news, Bonnie and RC had shouted orders to get the vehicle, as well as a few familiar faces, ready to go immediately.

They now went up the ramp that appeared, with Michael getting out the moment that Kitt parked.

"Anything, Bon?" he asked.

She shook her head, then replied, "Kitt, I replayed the first transmission you recorded to the police. They're already asking Dr. Alpert questions."

"_It's such a shock that Angela is actually in cahoots with Parkson,"_ was the incredulous statement, _"She didn't seem to be the type that would…betray us."_

"Yeah, but until you stumbled on Marissa, we didn't know that there was reason to suspect the receptionist. Let's hope that Alpert had no involvement."

"Kitt, are you still receiving the signal from Marissa's comlink?"

"_Yes, Michael. If I have a little more time, I believe that I can triangulate her and Devon's position."_

"Get to it," Bonnie said tersely, "And in the meantime, we're going to need a plan to get in." She sighed and added in a low tone, thinking it was too low, "She _said_ her wrist hurt…but she didn't have any old injuries in that area, Kitt checked…Maybe she's developing whispers, just like Devon…?"

"What are you talking about? Whispers, just like Devon…?" Michael asked.

Her head shot up and she glared at him. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yah, I do, and so do you. Bonnie, this past month should have been an example of why you don't lie to your friends. Look, I don't know what's going on that he wants kept secret, but I won't tell anyone. Whatever it is might help us figure out why they want Marissa so badly and killed his sister in the first place."

"Look, it wouldn't help that. All I know is that…Devon, at times, has, well…you know how you have gut instincts?"

"Yeah, we all do. So what?"

"Our gut instincts have sometimes been wrong. Devon has something like that, but much stronger…and they're always right. He's called it a 'whisper in his heart', or a 'whisper in his soul'. The only times that he ignored it led to disaster, the kind that he almost wasn't able to repair." She sighed, "He told me that in confidence. Before you, I was the only one alive who knew."

"Our lips are sealed. Right, buddy?"

"_Most assuredly. Bonnie, do you think that Rissie--"_

"I think Marissa's starting to develop them too. She definitely activated the comlink and set it on transmit only on purpose."

"And that's probably what's going to save their hides." Michael stated, then remembered something. "Bon, you said you were talking to Rodrigo. What was it about?"

"That's not important right now, amigo."

The reply didn't come from Bonnie, but from Rodrigo Mariz himself, who had just come through the door between the cab and the rest of the semi.

She nodded, "Getting those two to safety is."

"Yeah, but point one is to first find out where they are."

"_That I can help with,"_ Kitt stated, _"The comlink went out of range a moment ago, but not before Angela and the other driver let an address slip, namely the one where they are taking Marissa and Devon."_

"Where?"

"_It's an abandoned shipping warehouse, approximately 15 miles from the western part of the city."_

"Okay, so that's where we'll go. Kitt, alert me the moment Marissa wakes up or her signs change."

000000000000000

The very first thing that Devon was able to feel was a sharp ache in his head, as well as though his mind had been switched out with wool.

_Too much to drink…? No, one small one…what…happened?_

"U-uncle…"

_Child's voice…? Looking for her uncle?_

"Please, uncle…wake up…"

_Hm…? Leave me alone, child…too sleepy._

"Please…uncle…Uncle Devon, you're scaring me!"

The child's voice was calling to _him_, and she sounded more scared than she had said. In that moment, he remembered.

_Rissie!_

His eyes opened, slowly. The light hurt his eyes and he shut them for a moment, then opened them again.

"Uncle…uncle, help me…"

Devon could tell from his senses that his wrists were tied with rope behind him. He slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw something that alarmed him.

Marissa's clothing was torn in several spots, her shoes taken. Her arms were behind her, her wrists tied with rope. She had a few cuts on her face, bruises on her neck…

"Good lord," he managed to say, although it came out as a rasp at first, "Rissie…? What did…"

"Uncle Devon! Are you okay? You really scared me, I didn't know if you were _ever_ gonna wake up."

He nodded slowly, although it hurt, then replied, "I…think so. Head hurts, but…Rissie, what happened to us…?"

She blinked back tears. "We got hit with a gas that made us sleep. I woke up a little bit ago, when we first got here. Douglas Parkson was here when we arrived and he…he beat me up again…said it was punishment for escaping."

He shook his head, then replied softly, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay…I handled it better than I would have over a month ago. But Uncle Devon, he said this: 'You'll be with your mommy real soon. Once you see Verona Miles, give her my regards.'"

He closed his eyes for a moment, then whispered in a low voice, "He means to kill us both, my dear."

"I know."

"But not if I can help it. Rissie…see if you can scoot closer, with your back to me."

"I-I'll try…but how come?"

He smiled and whispered back, "I know a few tricks, dear. You don't live as long as I have, much less be in a war, without picking up some."

"I'm gonna have to ask about that later," she answered as she began rotating in place. Once she knew she was directly facing away from him, she slowly scooted backwards.

"Your comlink," he whispered, "Where is it?"

"Safe. I took it off and turned it on."

"Before we got back in the limo…?"

There was no reply from her, which gave Devon all the answer he needed.

There was a sharp breath at that. "I thought you said—never mind. I am not about to be critical about something that may well save our lives."

A moment later, he felt her hands touch his own. When they did, he began moving them slowly and jerkily.

"Let's see if I remember this…" he murmured, "If I can get myself free, I'll untie you."

She nodded, making a small, affirmative sound.

"Keep an ear out for anyone coming."

A second affirmative sound came from her, then the whispered question, "How long do you think?"

"Not all that long. You know as well as I, maybe more, that nothing will stop him from reaching you."

"Aren't you that way about Michael…? If he got in a situation like ours, wouldn't you do anything to help him…?"

He stopped for a moment at the question. He chuckled before continuing, "Perceptive, very perceptive…and very correct."

000000000000000

Michael looked about him as the two of them left the city limits. According to Kitt, they were now 15 miles away from where Devon and Marissa were being held. According to the AI, Marissa had awakened first and began the transmission. Currently, it was a discussion, albeit whispered, between Devon and herself.

"_Keep an ear out for anyone coming,"_ He had said to her, which had gotten him a little sound.

A moment later, Marissa had asked, _"How long do you think?"_

"Not all that long. You know as well as I, maybe more, that nothing will stop him from reaching you."

"You can say that again," Michael murmured as he looked about for the abandoned building…and was surprised by what was said next.

"_Aren't you that way about Michael…? If he got in a situation like ours, wouldn't you do anything to help him…?"_

There was dead silence for a long moment, then a chuckle.

"_Perceptive, very perceptive…and very correct. If anything happened to Michael, Kitt or you…I don't know if I could take it."_

"_Funny, how time does that. Kitty says that you and Michael didn't get along at all when you first met."_

Another pause.

"_I'll be honest…we didn't, not at first."_

"_When'd that change?"_

"_After a situation involving an assassination, it seemed that I had said one thing too many…had crossed the line. Near sunset, Michael had come into my office, announced that he was leaving FLAG for good and…said why."_ There was a shuddering pause, _"He even had his bags packed and in my office, although at first, I didn't believe him…so I didn't see those bags."_

"_I'm not gonna ask what the fight was about…but when did you realize…?"_

His tone sounded grateful that she didn't ask for the reason, but pained in remembering at the same time, _"A few minutes later, when I saw that all of his things were gone from his apartments…and Kitt had been left behind."_

"_What did you do…?"_

"_When I realized the truth…? I ran."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Yes, I literally ran out of my office, left the grounds in the Mercedes and tried to find him. I had thought…that he probably would check into a hotel and then leave the city in the morning."_

"_Did you find him at any of them?"_

"…_no." _There was a pause in conversation, then, _"Ah…now for you."_ Another pause, then Devon continued in a low tone, _"…after I found that he wasn't at any of the lodgings in the city, I parked in the lot of a 24-hour restaurant, feeling that I would never see him again…that it was too late to make amends. It's…not exactly safe to drive when you can't control your own pain…"_ There was a tremor in his voice. _"Someone up there must have been watching and had provided one last chance…because while I was an emotional wreck in the lot, I faintly heard a noise and looked up. Michael was at a booth inside. He was planning on drinking plenty of coffee and dinner before heading for the next city…"_

"_And you managed to talk to him…?"_

"_Yes,"_ they heard, and Devon's voice had strengthened. _"We didn't return to the Foundation grounds until well into morning. Rissie…don't tell Michael about any of this conversation. I'd rather he not know that I had been crying in that parking lot."_

"_Uncle, how can I seal my lips?"_

"_Why do you ask?"_

"_Because, well…when someone asks to not tell another person something, they always say, 'My lips are sealed'."_

There was a pause, then a soft laugh at that.

Michael looked a bit stunned as he heard all of this. He had _not_ known that little bit of information. When he had seen Devon's appearance that night, the Englishman had chalked it up to fatigue.

"Kitt…I won't tell if you don't."

"_Deal."_

Devon said_, "All right. D—"_

There was a new voice over the comlink, a nasty one.

"_So, you two are awake, huh…? Good thing you got in some conversation in, because that'll be the last one you have."_

"Kitt! Floor it!"

000000000000000

In front of Marissa and Devon was someone that the girl had seen for seven years of her life.

"Uncle Devon…this is the one. Douglas Parkson."

His gray eyes sparked in fury. "I want to know one thing out of you…why!"

"Why what? Why did I kill Verona Miles? Or why I took this little piece of trash with me?" He growled, "They're both trash. I think I'll let you figure out why I killed the woman in the afterlife. But as for the filth, that was a special project in itself."

"Stop calling me that!" Marissa snapped. She shot to her feet, her uncle having just gotten her free when he had come in, "I'm not trash or filth!"

He growled and took something behind his back, a crowbar, and swung low, to the legs.

She jumped to the right, but the blow connected with her left lower leg instead of both, and Marissa collapsed to the floor. He then moved to hit her again.

Devon began to move to strike the man, but Parkson growled, "You do and she dies right now."

"That's supposed to stop me? You're going to kill her anyway."

"Difference is, a clean death or a messy one, Redcoat?" He snorted, "No, I'm not going to insult the British." He then used the crowbar to strike the Englishman in the leg.

"Leave my uncle Devon alone!" Marissa, sounding rather protective and angry, scrambled to her feet.

"Shut up, slave! I can still salvage you."

"I'm not a slave," she retorted, "I am Marissa Celeste Miles, Devon Miles' niece!"

He growled as he grabbed her arm, "Is that so…? Here, I go and give you one last chance to break this brainwashing this filth did, and you go and say that. Well then, little brat, that's exactly how you're going to die. Give your mom my regards when you both see her."

He then turned his head, ordering, "Angela, bring your pistol—"

Marissa blinked as though keeping back pain, then brought her other leg down on his foot, full-force.

Parkson growled, feeling the pain, and moved to backhand her across the temple.

Almost immediately, she punched him exactly in the spot that she had been practicing.

Just as the bigger man dropped into a crouch and let go of her, there was a loud explosion on the far end of the huge room.

Devon looked in the direction and saw a very familiar and very welcome black Trans-am making its way through the hole in the wall.

At the same moment, Marissa collapsed.

The noise brought in Angela from the doctor's office, who had a pistol in her hands, as well as the fake driver, who looked about like any man from Texas and was equipped with a steel pipe.

The driver's side door opened and Michael emerged, first going after the limo driver by disarming then knocking him out with a swift karate chop to the shoulder.

Behind Kitt, RC came in and immediately went to the woman and brought out a very familiar weapon from his days as the Street Avenger.

"I'd drop that if I were you, sweet cheeks."

"That's not even real," she sneered.

"Maybe, maybe not. Is this one real…" he asked as he unholstered an Uzi, "Or is this one? Drop it."

She paled and dropped the weapon.

While this was going on, Kitt closed the door and went straight for Parkson. By the sound of the roar, Michael could tell that he was out for this man's blood.

The murderer unholstered a handgun and aimed it at the car's hood, then decided to aim a bit lower at the red scanner.

He fired, but Kitt had anticipated that and moved in an arc, causing the bullet to hit to the right of the weak spot.

As he completed the arc, the driver's side door swung open and hit the man in the upper legs.

"_That's for seven years of abuse **and** for the rape!"_ the AI said, truly angry.

He growled and struggled to his feet…just in time to see Devon before him.

The Englishman's expression was pure rage as he socked the other man in the jaw.

"That's for my sister!"

Parkson looked dazed from the punch, but decided to try one last time to take out at least _one_ of them and raised his gun…at Devon.

Michael was nearby and saw this. Without a single thought, he charged at him from behind in a bulldoze move. When this connected, Parkson stumbled forward and dropped his weapon…and the Englishman grabbed him by the throat, beginning to squeeze.

_I'm going to kill him,_ he remembered in the clothing store.

"Devon, no," he called out in a neutral voice, "You don't want to do this."

"The bloody hell I don't!"

"_Michael's right, Devon. I want him to pay too, but not like this."_

"Murder, rape, abuse…" he growled as he tightened his grip.

"This isn't the way to do it. These jackals will get theirs, but I don't want you to go to jail for murder, man," RC put in, edging closer to try to break the choke-hold.

"U-uncle…Uncle Devon…"

Devon's head snapped around to his right, where Marissa was trying to stand.

"Marissa…"

"Yep, it's me. Rissie. If you kill him, they'll take you away too, right…?" she asked, "Uncle Devon, I don't want you to become Parkson…and I don't wanna be left alone…"

"Marissa's right," Michael added, "What'll happen to her if you go to prison or death row…?"

The expression on his face became unreadable for a long moment…before he let go of Parkson and turned to his niece fully.

The man fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Michael sprang forward and picked the man up, keeping his arms pinned behind him.

A moment later, there were the sounds of sirens and car doors slamming closed as the police arrived.

Marissa cried out once and fell back to the floor.

"Rissie…?" he asked, voice hoarse with emotion.

"Uncle…?"

"Can you stand, dear…?"

She shook her head, "No…"

He nodded, kneeling beside her as he examined her legs. Her right ankle was swelling and her lower left leg didn't look good either, as it was at a wrong angle. Devon found a couple of boards close by and grabbed them, then removed his jacket and started shredding it to cushion the ankle first.

"Check her stats, fast!" Michael said, seeing this. Devon never tore expensive clothes if he could help it, this he knew. For him to do this now meant--

"_I already did. Her lower left leg is broken, while her right ankle is severely sprained. There are numerous other injuries, but these are the most serious."_

Devon finished making the splint for her leg and could faintly hear the police arresting Parkson as well as his cronies as he then carefully scooped her into his arms.

"Kitt," he said as he rose, "We need to get Rissie to a hospital."

One of the officers heard this, turned and nodded reluctantly after a moment. "We'll get statements at the hospital later."


	13. The Prologue Ends, The Story Begins

_Chapter 13: The Prologue Ends, The Story Begins_

It would not be until afternoon of the next day before anyone returned to the Foundation headquarters. Marissa had to stay in the hospital overnight for observation, as well as to set one leg and wrap the other in an ACE bandage. Devon refused to leave her side the entire time, so the doctors set up a bed for him in her room. At first, the doctors had wanted to take her comlink, but changed their minds when her uncle put his foot down on the subject. Michael and the others visited, and when it was close to dinnertime, he and RC came in with covered packages. When the two men uncovered the items, the faces of the Englishman and the little girl lighted with surprise. Michael had gotten Marissa a simple cheeseburger meal with the works while RC had gone and picked up something more along Devon's tastes, and it was still at the proper temperature. The older man had grumbled about sneaking in food, although that was spoiled by the sparkle in his eyes and the little, grateful smile that tugged at his lips.

When they returned, Marissa was in a wheelchair. Dr. Alpert had told Devon that until the swelling in her right foot went down, she would need to be in it, but afterwards she would be on crutches. He had also said that she would need help getting about for things that the wheelchair would be unsuitable for, but her uncle would not let that bother him at all and said so.

In the evening a couple days later, Devon and Marissa were outside in the outdoor patio, simply talking and waiting for dinner when Michael found them.

"There you are," he greeted them.

"Oh, hello," the older man had said with a quiet smile, "Is something wrong…?"

"Not really. I was just wanting to see how the little patient was doing—"

"Michael," his tone darkened, knowing a lie when he heard one.

He sighed, then said, "There was an attack this morning at the jail. It looked like a jailbreak, but… that isn't what it was. Parkson was extradited to Canada to face murder and kidnapping charges, so the attackers missed him by a few hours."

"What happened?" Marissa asked.

"Dr. Alpert's secretary and the phony limo driver weren't quite so lucky. They're dead."

Devon nodded quietly at this.

"How is Kitt?" he asked.

"He's okay…a little shaken, but he's all right." Michael then looked at the older man sympathetically and asked, "Are _you_ okay, Devon?"

"Just…stunned, my dear boy. I find that I keep telling myself…that it's finally over. Parkson's on his way to Canada to stand trial and Rissie's here with us."

"I think Mom can rest now," she said quietly.

"I hope so."

Devon sighed and closed his eyes for a long moment. "Hard to believe that almost two months ago, it started with dreams…Rissie dreaming of Kitt, me dreaming of first her, then Verona…and she had been calling for help."

Michael nodded, "A lot can happen in two months…heck, a lot _did_ happen. Kitt's changed, he found Marissa and saved her life…Verona's killer's been caught. Now you two can really start new lives." He blinked, "Speaking of which, you go to court tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, to begin the adoption process." The older man sighed again, then added, "I know for certain that I can't imagine how life would be if even one of you were gone. Rissie, Kitt, Bonnie, and most assuredly you, Michael."

The younger man smiled and nodded. "Same here, Devon…same here."

000000000000000

_Devon opened his eyes and found himself…somewhere strange._

_He looked about and saw that he was in somewhere rather dark, perhaps closest to black. He didn't know if it were his eyes playing tricks on him, but at times it seemed as though waves of darker black would splash across before his eyes. All about him, though not loud, was the sound of a heartbeat._

_It startled him when he heard the sound of footsteps, then a little voice ask, "Here again?"_

_He looked and saw Marissa standing beside him, in her nightgown._

"_This is impossible…you can't stand, much less walk right now," he uttered in disbelief._

"_You're here too, uncle?"_

_He nodded. "You've been here before…?"_

"_Yeah…twice."_

"_Is that really you two?" another familiar, male voice remarked._

_Both turned and saw Michael walk towards them and then stand beside Devon._

"_Yes, it's us…but I thought I was asleep…"_

_Beside Marissa was what seemed like Kitt…although the familiar Trans-am also had a human outline that would appear at times._

_The little girl didn't look surprised at all by his appearance and simply laid a hand on his hood, smiling quietly._

_Bonnie appeared beside Kitt, first in nightclothes, then in her normal, white jumpsuit. She looked confused, as well as surprised to see everyone else there._

"_Any idea just what's going on here? This is a dream, but why am I seeing all of you here?" she asked._

_Before anyone else could answer, a golden glow began to surround them all. Again, the only ones not surprised to see it was Marissa._

"_You're all here," a voice, coming from nowhere, spoke. It was feminine and had the exact same accent as Devon._

_This caused everyone to look about, surprised (well, Kitt's scanner swished about rapidly)._

_In front of them, a woman materialized. She was as tall as Devon, yet younger. She was shapely even though she appeared to be in her mid-30's, with flame-red hair that went down to her back. She wore a stylish, floor-length white dress that would be more for the ball or a classy function. Her eyes opened, and everyone could see they were green, with a very small touch of gray in them._

"_Michael," she said as she slowly turned, "Bonnie, big brother…Kitt…thank you."_

"_For what? And who are—" Bonnie started to ask, then gasped. "Y-you're..!"_

_Marissa looked at her and gasped as well. "Mom…?"_

_Devon nodded, "Yes…this is my sister, Rissie's mother, Verona Miles."_

"_Yes," she replied, "I am Verona. I want…to thank you. All of you. Thank you for helping my little girl."_

"_Don't mention it, ma'am," Michael replied, "But the real thanks should go to Kitt. He's the one that found her."_

"_Yes, I know. But while Kitt found her, all of you protected her and placed Doug Parkson in the hands of justice. Now…now I can rest easier, knowing that you're in good hands with these people, my little Rissie." She walked towards Kitt and lightly tapped on the hood with her open hand. "And my thanks, especially to you."_

"_**I merely did what I felt was right, Mrs. Miles."**_

"_Please, Verona is fine."_

"_**Very well, Mrs—Verona."**_

"_Better," she smiled, then said, "Kitt, I want to talk to the others now. Remember that I am eternally grateful to you."_

_Kitt hummed for a moment, the scanner swishing in a manner that they all knew was a touched smile before he slowly faded away._

_Verona waited until Kitt had faded completely away before she said, "Now…I truly need to talk to all of you about a serious matter. I seek a favor on something, and it'll take all of you to do it."_

_Devon asked, "What is it?"_

"_Protect Kitt."_

_His eyebrows shot up, while Michael's jaw dropped and Bonnie's mouth opened and closed a couple of times._

"_Come again?" the younger man asked._

"_I said exactly what I mean. A very important time has come for Kitt; a critical time has just begun. I don't speak of the car, but the AI himself. I need you, all of you, to protect Kitt and nurture him. He will need all the help that he can get."_

"_Mom, I wish I could understand," Marissa said._

_Verona replied, "You don't need to right now…you will eventually."_

"_How long is this critical time supposed to last?" Devon asked._

"_Even I don't know that, big brother, just that it will be some time, more than a year. But it must be done…and at the end of the time, you will all see the results…results that will shape all of your lives."_

_There was a long pause before Devon nodded. "I don't speak for anyone else but myself, but I'll do it, Verona. I promise, and you know I keep my promises."_

_Michael replied, "Of course I'm going to help Kitt. He's my buddy and my partner."_

_Verona smiled, "He will certainly need you, Michael, more than before."_

"_I'm in. I helped develop Kitt, so I consider him my baby. I'm not about to abandon him, and if I get the gist of what you're saying, he's going to need us the most."_

_The woman nodded, then turned to Marissa._

_The little girl replied, "Kitt helped me, he saved my life and sanity. I'm not gonna desert him. Not now, not ever."_

_She smiled. "Fine responses from all of you. Very well, I entrust Kitt and the future to all of you."_

"_V-Verona," Devon said, "Please…not yet…"_

_She smiled and walked over to him…then surprised the older man by hugging him._

"_I'll be watching over all of you, and I won't be the only one. You'll understand that later on, too."_

_He nodded and hugged her back, unable to keep a tear from his eye._

_When she moved back, she turned to Marissa. "You'll be starting a new life now, dear. You have good friends and an even better family here. Never forget it."_

"_I'll remember, mom."_

_Verona nodded and moved back until she was facing all of them, then swept an arm in front of her._

_The surroundings around them disappeared in white light._

000000000000000

The next morning, Devon, Marissa and Michael were eating breakfast outdoors, all eating their favorite things. Marissa was trying pancakes with blueberry syrup, instead of maple.

Bonnie came in, looking a little bedraggled.

"Morning, Bon," Michael grinned and waved, "What happened? Hot date last night too much for you?"

She shot him a frosty look, replying, "I didn't even go out last night. But for your information, I had a really weird dream last night."

"A dream?" Marissa asked, "What about?"

"Well…this is going to sound crazy, but I was somewhere pitch black…and I saw Devon's sister."

"Verona Miles, in front of us?" Michael asked, "Kitt having a human outline?"

"Marissa standing, even though her leg was broken?" Devon asked.

"You guys too!" she asked, "Now that's just plain strange."

"Tell me about it. Verona mentioned that a critical time for Kitt had just begun, and that we're all to protect and nurture him. I thought about it and still can't even start understanding it."

"Don't feel bad, my boy, neither can I."

Michael then pressed a button on his comlink and raised it. "Hey buddy, did anything strange happen last night?"

"_Yes, actually. During recharge, I had a type of hallucination. I saw Devon's sister and everyone else. She thanked us for helping Rissie, then said that she had to talk to the rest of you. Everything returned to normal after that."_

"I'd say we had a visitor in the night," Bonnie replied, "Kitt, how are you feeling?"

"_I am functioning within my normal parameters, Bonnie."_

"Kitt…I'll talk to you about that…later."

Cathy came out, holding a message in her hand.

"Mr. Miles," she said, "Someone in Miami, Florida called. It looks like another case."

Devon nodded, "I'll be in shortly."

She nodded and left.

Michael chuckled, "Back to normal, eh Devon?"

He shook his head, "No…it'll never again be normal, Michael. Business, though, yes."

The others had to agree about that. Things would never be the same ever again.

THE END


End file.
